January 1998 1 2 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 Volume 46 Number 1

British potter Jim Malone. 37 FEATURES 33 Edward Eberle by Marshall Katz Figural imagery on architecturally inspired vessels 37 Jim Malone Terra-sigillata-decorated plate by Pittsburgh artist Edward Eberle. Wood-fired functional stoneware 40 Seashell Fuming by Kelvin Bradford 33 Using seashells to achieve a range of effects in saggar firing 44 Betsy Rosenmiller by Matthew T. Baker Handbuilt and slip-cast organic vessels 45 Gina Bobrowski Of Geography and Animal Dreams by Sam McCarty 48 Anything That Pours Invitational featuring pouring vessels by 45 potters 51 Joy Brown by Rich Pomerantz Unglazed, wood-fired figures with Wood Firing Notes 57 An Iron in the Fire by SkeffTh omas Work reflecting the maker and the process 61 Lessons from a City Kiln by Marc Leuthold with Sarah G. Wilkins Installing a combustion kiln in compliance with regulations 63 End of an Era Changes in Spanish Folk Pottery by Frangoise Melville 89 Steve Davis-Rosenbaumby Nancy K Forman “Able,” earthenware with Wheel-thrown, majolica-decorated terra cotta slips, glazes and stains, with Flashed Majolica by Steve Davis-Rosenbaum by Gina Bobrowski. 92 A Farm Pottery in Australia by Emily Stackman 45 Meeting the needs of customers and family

Teapot by Clary lllian; shown in “Anything That Pours” at the Appalachian Center for Crafts The cover:Coil- and slab- in Smithville, Tennessee. built figures by Joy Brown; see page 51. Photo: Rich Pomerantz. 48

January 1998 3 UP FRONT 12 Free Summer Workshops Listing Deadline for April issue announced 12 MarkAspinall Paper-clay shields and vessels at Gallerie Friehausgasse in Villach, Austria EditorRuth C. Butler 12 Andrea Caruso Associate EditorKim Nagorski Clay and iron sculpture at Mondoarte Associazione Culturale in Rome Assistant EditorConnie Belcher 12 High-School Art for a “Leg Up” Editorial AssistantElaine Jebsen Department of Education recommends visual arts graduation requirement Art Director Randy Wax 14 Sarah Jaeger Production Specialist Functional porcelain shown at Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Montana Robin Chukes 14 Katheryn Trenshaw Advertising ManagerSteve Hecker Raku sculpture at Gallery Lot Duynstee, Maastricht, Netherlands Circulation AdministratorMary R. Hopkins 16 Baltimore Invitational Circulation AdministratorMary E. May Baltimore Clayworks holiday show features ceramics by 19 artists Publisher Mark Mecklenborg 16 Sam Fuller Sculpture at the Meetinghouse Gallery in Newton Centre, Massachusetts Editorial, Advertising and Circulation Offices 16 Corporate Teapot Collection 735 Ceramic Place Celestial Seasonings acquires six ceramic teapots Post Office Box 6102 18 Soup Tureens Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102 Invitational at the Northern Clay Center in Minneapolis Telephone: (614) 523-1660 18 Hiroshi Kondo Workshop by David Ogle Fax: (614)891-8960 Demonstration of cobalt on porcelain brushed decoration E-mail: [email protected] 20 Gregory Zeorlin advertising@ceramicsmonthly. org Clay and mixed-media sculpture at Cole Pratt Gallery in New Orleans [email protected] 20 North Carolina Ceramics [email protected] Survey of historical and contemporary ware at the Mint Museum in Charlotte Website: www.ceramicsmonthly.org 20 Clay Day USA by John G. Tsikalas Ceramics Monthly (ISSN 0009-0328) is published monthly, Four-day conference in Mexico, Missouri except July and August, by The American Ceramic Society, 735 22 Western Clay Ceramic Place, Westerville, Ohio 43081. Periodicals postage Invitational at the University of Southern Colorado paid at Westerville, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. 22 Wall Sculpture Competition Opinions expressed are those of the contributors and do not Juried National at Danforth Gallery in Portland, Maine necessarily represent those of the editors or The American 22 Paul Miklowski Ceramic Society. Large vessels with carved surfaces at Beachwood (Ohio) Center for the Arts Subscription Rates: One year $26, two years $49, three years 22 William Newland $70. Add $ 12 per year for subscriptions outside North America. In Canada, add GST (registration number R123994618). Slip-decorated plates at Oxford Gallery in England Change of Address: Please give us four weeks advance notice. 24 Jerry Rothman and His Students Send the magazine address label as well as your new address to: Ceramic sculpture at Tustin (California) Renaissance Gallery Ceramics Monthly, Circulation Department, PO Box 6102, 24 Northwest Wood Fire Westerville, OH 43086-6102. Anagama work by seven potters Contributors: Writing and photographic guidelines are avail­ 26 Gail Bakutis able on request. Mail manuscripts and visual support (photo­ Smoked paper-clay wall forms at Borders Stairway Gallery in Honolulu graphs, slides, transparencies, drawings, etc.) to Ceramics Monthly, 26 Greenwich Pottery Benefit Exhibition 735 Ceramic PL, PO Box 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102. Tableware by current members and invited artists We also accept unillustrated texts faxed to (614) 891-8960, or e-mailed to [email protected] Indexing: An index of each year’s feature articles appears in DEPARTMENTS the December issue. Feature articles are also indexed in the Art Index and daai(design and applied arts index), available 6 Letters through public and university libraries. 28 New Books Copies and Reprints: Searchable databases and document 66 Call For Entries delivery are available through Information Access Company, 66 International Exhibitions 362 Lakeside Dr., Foster City, CA 94404; and through Univer­ 66 United States Exhibitions sity Microfilms, 300 N. Zeeb Rd., Ann Arbor, MI 48106. 68 Regional Exhibitions Authorization to photocopy items for internal or personal 68 Fairs, Festivals and Sales use, or the internal or personal use of specific clients, is granted 74 Suggestions by The American Ceramic Society, provided the base fee of 76 Calendar $5.00 per copy, plus $0.50 per page, is paid directly to the 76 Conferences Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, MA 76 Solo Exhibitions 01923. Prior to copying items for classroom use, please contact 78 Group Ceramics Exhibitions the Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, 79 Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions MA 01923; (508) 750-8400. The code for users of the Trans­ 80 Fairs, Festivals and Sales actional Reporting Service is 0009-0328/97 US$5.00 + $0.50. 81 Workshops Back Issues: When available, back issues are $7 each, includes 82 International Events shipping and handling; $10 each outside North America. 84 Questions Postmaster: Send address changes to Ceramics Monthly,VO Box 95 Classified Advertising 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102. Form 3579 requested. 98 Comment: Copyright © 1998 A Revolutionary Conceptby Kevin A. Hluch The American Ceramic Society 04 Index to Advertisers All rights reserved

4 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 5 People will always have different opinionson the table of contents. I kept looking for Letters and make different choices. What works for the “missing” article. one does not work for another; that is what On a different note, it is so nice to be able makes this world and art so exciting. I cel­ to e-mail the magazine with comments, etc. I ebrate those differences. really enjoy my subscription and always look Real Courage Ruth Olin, Sutton, Alaska forward to the next issue in my mailbox. The labeling of Torbjorn Kvasbo’s Cindy Grand, San Francisco “Trough,” by Giles Reid (October 1997 CM,Explore All Possibilities page 53) as a “baked dung heap” ought to be You are led through your lifetime by the Bravo! mighty encouraging to Kvasbo. Such lofty inner creative, playful, spiritual being that is Regarding the October 1997 issue: Bravo! praise seems to surround the work of all yourself. Don’t turn away from possible I don’t know how it could have been more greats. Torbjorn’s stepping outside the futures before you’re certain you don’t have interesting or attractive. bounds of what we are all conditioned to anything to learn from them. You are always Martin Buchman, Erie, Pa. regard as wonderful work takes courage and free to change your decision and choose a real integrity. different future or a different past. Renewed Interest Congrats, Torbjorn, for moving us ahead Felix Mimo, New Britain, Conn. Ceramics Monthly has inspired me to and for your hard work so exceptionally renew my interest in clay. My current profes­ evident in your virtuosity in clay. Maybe youInternet Sales sion and family obligations have left me little can save us from the monotone drone or the How about doing an article on all the time to pursue my past influences, but by chic cliches, like the highly intelligent lazy ceramics artists who have home pages, listingreading CM each month, I am reminded to spiral groove up the side of a pot. Thanks forthem according to their specialties, such as take the time and enjoy. the “Rodin” alternatives. stoneware, raku, pit fire, etc., and giving their Norman Boucher, Duluth, Minn. Tony Allison, Palisade, Minn. URL addresses? With interest in the Internet growing, I am hoping that this will be the Timeless Tool Anti Criticism way in the future to sell pottery. I’m getting I enjoy living in Africa. I can’t think of This magazine is an excellent resource for too old (72) to do many more shows. anywhere else I would like to live. However, anyone who has the slightest interest in Bob Hayden, Nampa, Idaho there is one drawback—a lack of information pottery. Please don’t include articles criticiz­ and expertise. To me, Ceramics Monthly is ing any pottery. Keep the critics in “Letters toUnselfish Service not only a magazine, it is a tool. It has helped the Editor” and off the writing staff. I was touched by the lady who did the me a lot in the past, and I am sure that it will Jack Whelan, Still River, Mass. memorial wall pieces for patients at a hospitalbe the same in the future. Thanks. [May 1997, page 22]—a great unselfish Cobus Potgieter, Windhoek, Namibia Inspirational Jolt service for many. She deserves a medal! I actually run back up the stairs from the Marcia Nowak, Artesia, N.M. No Comparison mailbox to my apartment when I find CM in I’ve been a wheel-throwing potter since there. It gives me an inspirational jolt, and Main Mag 1968, specializing in wheel-thrown porcelain usually I start sketching and planning sculp­ I enjoy the diversity ofCeramics Monthly for the last ten years. I have not found an­ ture ideas (that have been simmering) withinand use it to motivate students as well as other source of information and inspiration ten minutes. I also like the marriage of pro­ myself. It’s my main professional magazine to the studio potter as good as that received fessionalism and the down-to-earth feel of and has been for 25 years. in issue after issue of Ceramics Monthly. CM. I respect this. Thanks—it’s an impor­ I’d like a little more how-to and technical,Sincere appreciation! tant part of my artistic life. though. Actually, I’d like it about two times Noel Alander, Santa Barbara, Calif. Monica Leeke Dix, Wooster, Ohio as long. It always ends too fast. Reida Mishory-IsseroJJ, Ra’Anana, Israel I’d appreciate more technical articles— Celebrate the Differences how-to, etc. and information on the develop­ This is in response to the letter titled Zamek Kudos ment of new products, glazes, kilns, wheels, “Self-Educated Potters” (November 1997 Thanks for the informative article “Glazeetc. I really enjoy CM and find it to be the CM): I would like to believe that people Material Substitutions” by Jeff Zamek (No­ best in the field—but wouldn’t mind if it aren’t so narrow-minded as to “thumb their vember 1997). More articles on glaze materi­were larger and, if necessary, cost more. noses” at potters who haven’t been trained atals—how they react with other minerals as C. J. Siragusn, Foster City, Calif. a college or university. After all, aren’t we allwell as firing techniques (i.e., reduction or gas just following our hearts and doing what we vs. electric) should appear on a regular basis.Wild To Do love? I applaud each of you for that, no Judy Dechar, Atlanta For those potters and others who appreci­ matter how you got there. I believe we need ate exquisite decoration and well-formed to honor the differences and the diversity wePhotographically Inspired handbuilt pottery, a trip to Mata Ortiz, each bring to our art. My journal and small studio are plastered Mexico, should be on the “to do” list. Hav­ with the inspiration Ceramics Monthly pro­ ing just returned from my second visit to this In keeping with our commitment to provide vides. Thanks. village, I am compelled to sing praises of its an open forum for the exchange of ideas Amy Chaplin, Richmond, Va. people and pottery. Mata Ortiz is a some­ and opinions, the editors welcome letters what remote village of approximately 2000 from all readers. All letters must be signed, Missing Info people wherein it is estimated that about 300 but names will be withheld on request. Mail I was intrigued by the November 1997 are involved in the making of pottery. Under to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102, cover image, but I was disappointed that the guidance of Mike Williams (whom, it Westerville, OH 43086-6102, e-mail to there was no mention or description of the feels like to me, knows almost every potter [email protected] or fax to technique that the artist was using in the there), Mel and Sharlene Jacobson, my wife (614) 891-8960. photo, aside from the short descriptive blurbRuth and I had five memorable days. Mel has

6 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 7 Letters Not only did we meet people and see We were cordially received by both the pots, but we got into the social fabric of the well-known as well as the lesser-known pot­ community as we watched a parade and ters. I could go on but instead will simply referred to it as “heaven.” Not only were thevillage-square celebration of the beginning ofinvite anyone interested further to phone me pots wonderful, but we all agreed that the the revolution to wrest power from the dicta­in River Falls at (715) 425-5715, and I’ll be women were beautiful, the men handsome tor Porfirio Diaz. A rodeo followed the cel­ glad to answer questions. and all were friendly. ebration and in the evening we were invited Kurt Wild, River Falls, Wis. We were welcomed into homes as if we to a traditional meal with a local family. In were old friends and immediately asked to bethe days to follow, Ruth and I took a horse­ Balancing Act seated. Then commenced the showing of back trip through the area, and all of us At times, the functional!nonfunctional pots, often followed (through Mike’s transla­attended a wedding, a traditional Mexican debate overrides the general sensibility of the tions) by a two-way sharing of techniques barbecue, and wedding dance. The entire magazine—but the swing from one side to and ideas. Sometimes there were purchases community was invited to the wedding, the the other usually produces material that is made, and other times we left gifts for their “reception” barbecue and the dance. Of interesting, intriguing, educating, enlighten­ gracious sharing of time with us. course, many do attend all those events. ing and very often fun. I enjoy every copy. Francisco Valadez, Asheboro, N.C.

Ad Discontent While I understand the importance of advertisements, I find there to be more in Ceramics Monthly than in the typical publica­ tion. Is there any way to decrease the amount of these distractions? Gretchen Olson, Edina, Minn.

Worldwide Listings CM’s listings of worldwide services en­ abled me to contact a potter, Alan Baxter, in Ipswich, England. I took lessons from him for a week last September. It was an incred­ ible experience. I wouldn’t have even consid­ ered taking classes outside of the United States without CM’s help. No telling what the future will bring. Marsha Clark, Summerville, S.C.

Covers All This magazine’s arrival is one of my highlights for the month—miss it in the summer. It covers all areas of ceramics inter­ est. Photos provide impetus to improve your own works, and how-to areas give you tools to work with. Then exhibition listings tell you where to “show off’ the progress. Barbara Smith, Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Open Debate I am so glad that CM keeps the debate open between the many factions in ceramics today, rather than catering to one interest or the other. Cara Moczygemba, New Orleans

Required Reading My college ceramics professor first turned me on to CM. Now I teach ceramics in an Alaskan high school, and CM is required reading for my students. They get great ideas for their own work and learn about careers in the field of ceramics. Thanks! Suzanne Taylor, Delta Junction, Alaska

Asylum Ceramics Monthly: a sane place in an insane world. Michael Cohen, Amherst, Mass.

8 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 9

Up Front

Free Summer Workshops Listing The 1998 “Summer Workshops” listing will appear in the April issue of Ceramics Monthly. Potters, craft schools, colleges/ universities or other art/craft institutions are invited to submit information about summer ceramics programs (regularly scheduled classes are excluded) by February 9. Just provide the workshop name and/or a synopsis of what will be covered, location, opening and closing dates, level of instruction, instructor’s name, languages spoken, fee(s), contact address, plus a telephone number that potential participants may call for details. Captioned slides from last years workshops are welcome and will be considered for publication in this listing. Please mail information and slides to Summer Workshops, Ceramics Monthly, Post Office Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102. Announcements may also be faxed to (614) 891- 8960 or e-mailed [email protected] Mark Aspinall Clay shields and star vessel forms by British artist Mark Aspinall were exhibited recently at Gallerie Friehausgasse in Villach, Austria. While living and working in Italy for the past four years, Aspinall created these pieces by building layer upon layer

Andrea Caruso’s “The Bird of Paradise,” approximately 17 inches in height, terra cotta with sprayed oxides, iron and metal mesh, once fired to 1742°F, $700; at Mondoarte Associazione Culturale, Rome. Andrea Caruso “Reliefs and Collages,” an exhibition of clay and iron sculptures by Italian artist Andrea Caruso, was presented recently at Mondoarte Associazione Culturale in Rome. Caruso began combining iron with clay in 1991. “They are the two materials I’ve always felt closest to—clay for its versatility and warmth,’ iron for its strength and its capacity for lasting outdoors,” he explains. “When I started this research, my aim was to let the materials work together, using them both at the same time and trying to keep their characteristics alive. Today, after these few years of experience, this way of working has enabled me to gain a very specific style, getting away from more conventional methods of dealing with sculpture.” Usually, Caruso fires the sculpture as a whole—with clay and Mark Aspinall’s (from left to right) “Nostalgic Vertigo” and “With the Dawn,” approximately 49 inches in diameter; at metal combined, sometimes adding clay after the firing as well. Gallerie Friehausgasse, Villach, Austria. He often finds “deep breakages in the piece. Obviously, clay is always best modeled close to the iron, not around it. While to of a semirefractory paper clay mixture, which had been colored have cracks can be an interesting characteristic of the work, one with oxides and pigments. has to be careful that such a thing doesn’t affect the wholeness of The works were then fired to 1100°C (2012°F) in a light the sculpture, especially its solidity and stability. Therefore, with reduction atmosphere in a kiln that he designed and built time I have learned to make the materials coexist in the most specifically for this purpose. natural possible way, avoiding the most dangerous cracks.” Submissions are welcome. We would be pleased to consider High-School Art for a “Leg Up” press releases, artists' statements and photos/slides in con­ The United States Department of Education has recommended junction with exhibitions or other events of interest for publi­ that visual art classes be required for high-school graduation. In cation in this column. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, Post Office a recent report, titled Preparing Your Child for College, issued by Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102. the department, Richard W. Riley, U.S. Secretary of Education,

12 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 13 Up Front stated, “Getting a ‘leg up’ means taking the right courses, and this should start in middle and junior high school. Not only should young students focus on math, English, computer science and foreign lan­ guage courses, but students should also be taking courses in the arts.” The report also noted that many colleges and universities now require high-school credit in the arts for acceptance. In its own study on state-level art requirements, the National Art Education Association (NAEA) found that 32 states have made visual arts part of the recommended course of study for high-school graduation—a significant improvement over 1980 requirements. At that time, only one state required a course in visual arts for high-school graduation. Since American ceramist Katheryn Trenshaw at work in her studio in Devon, England. then, “state art education associations have provided exemplary advocacy leadership” in encouraging the expression to authentic human experience—of cyclical change addition of art requirements, according to NAEA Secondary Direc­ and transformation, of relationships to people and nature, of the tor David DeLuca. numinous ancient wisdom that seeks our attention—that is the focus of my work,” she explained. Sarah Jaeger “The silent, solitary, contemplative time that precedes the Wheel-thrown porcelain serving dishes by Sarah Jaeger were execution of my art is a process of ‘remembering and honoring among the objects featured in “Crosscurrents,” a Hoi ter Mu- the primeval connections for which I am a translator,” Trenshaw

Sarah Jaeger tureen and tray, 9 inches in height, porcelain with abstract floral glaze decoration; at Holter Museum of Art, Helena, Montana. seum of Art survey exhibition of works by artists living within a 3 5-mile radius of Helena, Montana. A functional potter since 1975, Jaeger has long been influenced by the forms and decora­ tion of the Chinese Tang and Song dynasties, and more recently by the Iznik ceramics of Turkey. Katheryn Trenshaw “Wisdom of the Stones,” an exhibition of ceramic sculpture and watercolors by Katheryn Trenshaw, was presented recently at Gallery Lot Duynstee, Maastricht, Netherlands. An American Katheryn Trenshaw’s “Stepping through Gateways,” living and worldng in the U.K., Trenshaw is inspired by the 20 inches in height, raku fired; at Gallery Lot standing stones and sacred sites of England and Wales. “Giving Duynstee, Maastricht, Netherlands.

14 CERAMICS MONTHLY

Up Front “The fundamental concern of my work is responding to space as a tactile and palpable presence, as something of and by itself,” Fuller explained. “It is a habit to perceive space in terms continued. “In this, I become an archivist of human experience, of form. What I find compelling is to arrive at the perception of reveling in the unpredictable qualities of raku-fired ceramics.” Baltimore Invitational Ceramics by 19 artists were featured in the “ 1997 Holiday National Invitational Exhibition,” on view through December 24 at Baltimore Clayworks in Maryland. Among the works exhibited was a “Footed Juice Set,” shown here, by Florida ceramist Jenny Lou Sherburne. “Making pots is my way of celebrating and maintaining” the belief that “life is a gift,” Sherburne commented. “The creative process forces me to question my assumptions and listen to my intuition,” she explains. “This in turn provides me with clues about how to live my life. The cross-fertilization

Sam Fuller’s “Walking Rhythm,” 10 inches in height, stoneware; at the Meetinghouse Gallery of Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre, Massachusetts.

the form defined in terms of space. And so, what was previously perceived as non-being or negative space becomes, in fact, a source of being.” Corporate Teapot Collection “Celestial Seasonings: A Loose Interpretation II,” a juried exhibition of teapots by 50 artists, was featured at Celestial Seasonings’ corporate headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. The herbal-tea manufacturer had asked artists to propose teapot

Jenny Lou Sherburne’s “Footed Juice Set,” to 9 inches in height; at Baltimore Clayworks, Maryland. between my life and my work nourishes both, as I strive to establish for myself and communicate to others a world view full of wonder, curiosity and joy.” Sam Fuller “The Seen and the Unseen,” an exhibition of ceramic sculpture by Maine artist Sam Fuller, was on view through November 15, 1997, at the Meetinghouse Gallery of the Andover Newton Theological School in Newton Centre, Massachusetts. Begin­ ning each piece without a preconceived idea, Fuller first builds up a mound of clay weighing anywhere from 100 to 500 Red Weldon Sandlin’s “The Emperor’s Choice...Steeped in pounds, then uses basic tools to sculpt the form. After a bisque Ancient Tradition,” 8½ inches in height, second-place firing that may last up to six days, the piece is glazed and fired in winner; acquired for the permanent collection at Celestial an electric Idln to Cone 6. Seasonings’ corporate headquarters, Boulder, Colorado.

16 CERAMICS MONTHLY

Up Front inch miniatures to functional dishes to extravagant interpreta­ tions of the idea of soup. “My approach has been compared to the Islamic sensibility often described by the term ‘horror vacui,’ which refers to a fear of empty spaces,” explained Rosalie Wynkoop, Helena, Mon­ tana. “Satisfaction comes only after I have covered all or most of the white majolica base glaze with color and decoration. This experience is both meditative and rapturous. “When I began working with this process, a criticism that low-fire glazes had a ‘plastic look’ echoed in my mind,” she continued. “I challenged myself to create depth and movement

Liz Quackenbush tureens, 7 inches in height, handbuilt terra cotta, with majolica glaze and gold luster, $600 each.

in the glaze, the goal being to bring to my surfaces a vitality, emotion and authenticity never to be mistaken for plastic.’” For the decoration on her terra-cotta tureens, Liz Quackenbush, Pleasant Gap, Pennsylvania, drew inspiration from 13th- to 17th-century ceramics made in France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Iran. “I call it a crazy-quilt approach to ceramics history because I patch many different inspirations together,” she remarked. “My goal with this functional work is Mary Head’s “Psalm of Life, HG Longfellow,” 23½ inches in height; acquired by the Celestial Seasonings company to make it bridge the gap between being elegant china and for its permanent collection. down-to-earth pottery. I want them to invite use and at the same time seek to subvert contemporary ‘run of the mill’ designs inspired by packaging, product titles or the company’s preconceptions of what functional pottery is or can be.” history. From the exhibited teapots, company representatives selected eight (six of which were ceramic) for its permanent Hiroshi Kondo Workshop collection, which was started in 1996. by David Ogle Soup Tureens Master potter Hiroshi Kondo of Kyoto, Japan, conducted a workshop recently at West Valley College in Saratoga, Califor­ At the invitation of guest curator Gail Kendall, 18 artists nia. The son of Japanese National Living Treasure Yuzo Kondo, (including Kendall) created soup tureens for “Tureen du Jour,” Hiroshi Kondo was in the Bay Area as visiting artist at the on display through November 2, 1997, at the Northern Clay Hakone Foundation in Saratoga. The two men, as well as Center in Minneapolis. The exhibited works ranged from 1- Hiroshi’s son Takahiro, are known for sometsuke, or cobalt blue painting on porcelain. During the two-day workshop, Kondo first demonstrated the techniques and tools used to throw (clockwise) traditional forms. The porcelain was spiral wedged by his son, who then placed the ball of clay on the wheel; while turning the wheel slowly, Takahiro then pounded the porcelain into a roughly shaped low cylinder form. The pounding compresses the clay particles on the bottom of the pot and reduces the chances of cracking during the drying stage. After the wheel-thrown work had been dried, trimmed and bisqued, Hiroshi Kondo demonstrated the sometsuke tech­ nique. Made from the underbelly hairs of deer, his brushes are designed especially for sometsuke. These hairs are spiral, holding the cobalt stain and preventing drips much better than the Rosalie Wynkoop’s “Peacocks,” 28 inches in length, straight hairs of the deer. earthenware, with majolica glaze, $750; at Northern Unlike most potters who make a form then decide how to Clay Center, Minneapolis. decorate it, Kondo throws the form to accommodate the 18 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 19 Up Front “Magic develops as one’s world expands through all forms of visual communication. In our contemporary world, there are many levels of magic and logic that we have taken for granted. painting he already has in mind. During the demonstration, he In our ancient past, the need to communicate and preserve worked with a vase laid on cotton batting, turning the piece ideas, teachings and beliefs led to many forms of over and over while painting without any trace of smearing or expression....This is seen on cave walls, clay tablets, illuminated manuscripts and numerous other surfaces.” To achieve a variety of surface textures as well as a sense of depth, Zeorlin applies terra sigillatas, engobes, slips and glazes to the earthenware slabs. After the Cone 06-05 glaze firing, he adds nonclay elements, such as metal, wire, glass and other found objects. North Carolina Ceramics From the early agrarian ware, through the artwares of the 1920s, to the current boom in contemporary studio pottery, the ceramics of North Carolina have played a significant role in the

Porcelain vase brushed with cobalt decoration by Japanese potter Hiroshi Kondo during a workshop at West Valley College in Saratoga, California. smudging. He began by signing his name on the bottom, then did a sketch of the painting in a red ink that burns away during the firing. He then mixed the cobalt oxide, which had been ground very fine in a mortar and pestle, with strong green tea (he believes the tannins in the tea adhere the stain to the bisqueware better than water), and began painting. First the darkest lines Don Craig’s “Snake Jug,” 12 inches in height, 1996; were brushed in, then weaker solutions were used to complete and A. R. Cole vase, 7 inches in height, circa 1940s; the painting. Finally, the vase was sprayed with a very fine mist at the Mint Museum of Art, Charlotte, North Carolina. of clear glaze and fired to 1200°C (2192°F). states artistic heritage. In recognition of these potters and their Gregory Zeorlin work, the Mint Museum of Art in Charlotte recently featured Clay and mixed-media sculpture by Tyler, Texas, artist Gregory approximately 300 pieces in the exhibition “The Ceramic Art of Zeorlin was exhibited recently at Cole Pratt Gallery in New North Carolina.” Orleans, Louisiana. “Much of my art makes reference to writing Most of the objects on display were selected from the instruments, ink stands, books and the written word,” Zeorlin museum’s Dorothy Cole Auman and Daisy Wade Bridges commented. “Reading and writing are acts of magic and logic. collections; other pieces came from private collections through­ out the state. The exhibition was organized according to time period and form, beginning with colonial English and German potters who created slip-decorated earthenware forms. Clay Day USA by John G. Tsikalas “Clay Day USA” was held this past summer in Mexico, Mis­ souri. The first such convocation of potters and other clayworkers in Missouri, the four-day event was more than just a sales-oriented exhibition of ceramics. It was a collective endeavor supported by the State Arts Council, City Hall, local refractory industries, several state universities and a Missouri- based Japanese company, which financed and facilitated a connection with and participation by potters of Shigaraki, Mexico’s sister city in Japan. Presenters during the Friday evening symposium included Gregory Zeorlin’s “Magic Pages,” 15 inches in experts from both the industrial and artistic sides of clay—such height, ceramic and mixed media; at Cole Pratt as Robert Moore of Missouri University-Rolla, who specializes Gallery, New Orleans. in ceramic engineering; Pete Pinnell, a clay artist and educator

20 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 21 Up Front at the University of Nebraska; and Sojyu Ueda, president of Shigaraki Traditional Craftsmens Association—speaking on such topics as the origin, nature, history and function of clay. Conference highlights included a kilnbuilding seminar with Ed Me Endarfer, demonstrations by 25 ceramists, hands-on activities for both adults and children, and tours to local clay- refractory industries. At the close of the event, selected exhibitors received awards; the grand prize, a trip to Shigaraki, went to Velda Dougherty of Kirtaville, Missouri.

Deanna Korda’s “Refugees of the Heart,” 30 inches in Western Clay height, clay and mixed media, $3250; at the Maine “Western Clay: A 3-D Feature,” an invitational exhibition of Artists’ Space, Danforth Gallery, Portland. works by 13 Colorado artists and 1 Wyoming artist, was on view recently at the University of Southern Colorado. Curator “The sculptures, although some very large in scale, seemed to Diane Kenney “chose people whose work I love and/or respond demonstrate intimate expressions,” she concluded, “some allegorical and whimsical, others more soberly psychological and self-reflective.” Paul Miklowski Large vessels with carved relief imagery by Cleveland artist Paul Miklowski were featured in a recent exhibition at the Beachwood (Ohio) Center for the Arts. Manganese and black

Jim Lorio vase, 14 inches in height, wood-fired stoneware; at the University of Southern Colorado. to in a familiar and strong way—heartfelt, well-made pots and clay sculpture.” Coinciding with the exhibition, Kenney conducted a three- day workshop that focused on articulating form in porcelain. Wall Sculpture Competition “Wall Forms—Sculptural Works in Clay—’97,” a juried exhibi­ tion of sculptural works displayed on walls, was presented Paul Miklowski’s “Jar of Unearthly Desire,” 22 inches in through October 2 at the Maine Artists’ Space, Danforth height; at the Beachwood (Ohio) Center for the Arts. Gallery, in Portland. Jurors Diane Giardi, clay sculptor/arts educator, and Patt Franklin, artist/professor, selected 22 works copper oxide slip were applied to the carved surfaces, then by 18 artists from 14 states. buffed before a Cone 1 firing. “More and more sculptural clay is being seen on the wall, whether for aesthetic and/or conceptual reasons, or practical William Newland space considerations,” noted Giardi. “I was happily surprised Slip-decorated plates by British artist William Newland were that many [submitted] works were high-risk pieces in extension, exhibited through November 19, 1997, at Oxford Gallery in balance and fragility. England. Born in New Zealand in 1919, he moved to England

22 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 23 Up Front the Swan. Elaborately carved and painted with layers of acrylics, the four 4-foot-tall sculptures depict Leda as well as Zeus turning into a swan. and first studied painting, but soon developed an interest in Among the works shown by former students were several ceramics. In the 1950s, he worked in a basement flat with two sculptures by Phyllis Green of Los Angeles. She creates cylindri­ other ceramists; the three helped bridge the gap between prewar cal forms with protrusions, incorporating stuffed vinyl elements daywork and the experimental studio ceramics that developed in the 1960s. Inspired by Spanish art in general and Pablo Picasso’s work in particular, Newland is primarily concerned with aesthetics rather than function. Animals—particularly chickens and

Phyllis Green’s “Symbiota,” 7 inches in height, clay and mixed media.

in garish colors and snakeskin patterns; they are then placed on pillows of vinyl or fuzzy fabrics. Her works, she explains, represent “hybrids of traditional/stereo typical male and female representation; i.e., perforated and projecting, soft and hard, inside and outside.” Northwest Wood Fire

William Newland’s “Black Cock,” 12 inches in diameter, Wood-fired ware by seven potters—Barb Campbell, Bonita slipware; at Oxford Gallery, Oxford, England. Cohn, Chris Gum, John Harris, Hiroshi Ogawa, Steve Sauer and Tate Shields—was featured in a recent exhibition at the bulls—as well as the myth of “Europa and the Bull” are favorite Gallery at Salishan in Gleneden Beach, Oregon. The 100 pieces subjects. He works instinctively and is never quite sure of the on view in “Northwest Wood Fire” were fired in Ogawa’s outcome of a piece; slip completes the process. anagama/noborigama in Elkton, Oregon (see the December 1996 issue of CM). Jerry Rothman and His Students Firing their works in Ogawa’s kiln has become a regular Clayworks by Laguna Beach, California, artist/professor Jerry practice for the seven: “Our search for forms that will comple- Rothman, as well as works by 22 of his students, were presented recently in “The Art and Influence of Jerry Rothman” at the Tustin Renaissance Gallery in Tustin, California. Until retire­ ment last spring, Rothman taught ceramics at California State University, Fullerton. The Rothman works on view in this show included older pieces, plus a new series addressing his favorite myth, Leda and

Jerry Rothman’s "Hey Zeus #2,” 4 feet in height, painted Hiroshi Ogawa wood-fired vase, 6 inches in height; at the with acrylics; at Tustin (California) Renaissance Gallery. Gallery at Salishan, Gleneden Beach, Oregon.

24 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 25 Up Front

Bonita Cohn plate, 10 inches in diameter, with seashell-flashed Shino slip, wood fired.

Gail Bakutis’ “Threshold,” 22 inches in height, smoked paper clay, $300; at Borders Stairway Gallery, Honolulu.

Coated with several layers of clay slip in various shades of yellow, cream and white, the slabs are fired to 2100°F. “I usually add combustible materials to this bisque to create a smoldering atmosphere in the Idln. Traces of smoke are absorbed by the slips and clay.” After the firing, Bakutis often adds touches of color, using Steve Sauer wood-fired vessel, 32 inches in diameter. stains and resins. ment the idiosyncracies of the kiln are part of the challenge of Greenwich Pottery Benefit Exhibition firing ‘Hikarigama (illuminated kiln),” explains Ogawa. “We “Clay Can Save Your Life,” a benefit exhibition and sale of seek a balance and harmony with the kiln. Each firing is a ceramics, was held December 4-7, 1997, at the Greenwich celebration, as we gather together in communal strength to House Pottery in New York City. Opened in 1909 as a func- affirm each artist’s unique view.” Gail Bakutis “Ghost Writings,” an exhibition of paper-clay wall works by Hawaii clay artist Gail Bakutis, was presented recently at Bor­ ders Stairway Gallery in Honolulu. With this series, she intro­ duced concepts from a novel she has just finished. “I wanted to create vignettes both in paper clay and in words that danced around the same emotion-laden fires,” she explained. “It is an effort to come to grips aesthetically with notions of innocence, attack, death, grief and transcendence.” Michael Simon cups, stoneware, $20 each; To mix her paper-clay body, Bakutis collects shredded paper at Greenwich House Pottery, New York City. from office buildings and reduces it to pulp, which is then added to a porcelain body. The “slush” is poured onto a large tioning pottery, Greenwich House has expanded its programs plaster table to dry to a workable consistency. Blocks of clay are over the years to include classes, exhibitions, residencies, work­ then compressed into flat sheets with a slab roller. shops and special outreach programs. “The paper gives the wet clay tensile strength,” she notes. The sale included tableware by current members, as well as “The new strength allows me to create large, thin slabs that do by invited artists who have either exhibited, lectured or taught not break on handling and loading into the kiln.” classes at Greenwich House.

26 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 27 nizes that the “diversity of archaeological con­base of the later Middle Ages and early Renais­ New Books texts in which German stoneware is found, sance was formed by deliberately leaving a from royal palace, castle and monastery, to residue of clay around the base of the vessel, German Stoneware 1200-1900 merchant house and peasant cottage, empha­which was then worked and thumbed to sizes its importance as a historical source acrossproduce the characteristic foot-ring.” Archaeology and Cultural History the social spectrum.” The importing and exporting of stoneware by David Gaimster After a historical overview of German stone­are considered next, then Gaimster looks at “Apart from clay pipes, no other archaeo­ware collecting and research, Gaimster dis­ stoneware as a utilitar­ logical artifact can demonstrate such a wide cusses production in medieval and early ian and social medium. geographical and social distribution as Ger­ modern Germany, including raw materials “With its unique com­ man stoneware of the 16th to 18 th centuries,”used, throwing and forming processes, surfacebination of technical, observes the author of this nicely illustrated treatment, glazing, and firing. Thrown on a physical and decora­ socio-economic analysis. An assistant keeper fast wheel, most forms were made “in one tive properties, stone­ in the Department of Medieval and Later action, with handles, spouts and other featuresware was able to fulfill Antiquities in the British Museum, he recog­ added at the leather-hard stage....The frilled two fundamental roles in this society,” he ex­ plains, “the utilitarian and the social....Cheaper than metalware and glass, stoneware, although largely undeco­ rated at this stage, enabled various groups of middle-class consumers to engage in the social emulation process and imitate the dining hab­ its of their betters.” In the following chapter, Gaimster dis­ cusses pottery, prints and the use of stoneware as a medium for both religious and political propaganda. “A favorite satirical image in circulation from the middle of the 16th cen­ tury was the double-headed portrait repre­ senting the pope wearing papal tiara and, upside down, the Devil with horns and satyr’s ears,” he remarks. “Both heads share the same mouth and each nose serves as the chin of the opposing portrait.” The majority of the book is a catalog of German stoneware from the collections of the British Museum, the Victoria and Albert Mu­ seum, and the Museum of London, along with essays about the various areas and other countries making stoneware (e.g., Belgium, northern France and the Czech Republic). Each catalog entry is illustrated by a photo­ graph and estimates the date. 430 pages, in­ cluding appendixes on provenancing Rhenish stoneware using neutron activation analysis, the technology of German stoneware glazes, Rhenish stonewares from dated shipwrecks, armory and ordinary of armorial designs, ty­ pological charts and maps; bibliography; and index. 40 color and 415 black-and-white pho­ tographs; 401 sketches. £45 (approximately US$75).British Museum Press, 46Bloomsbury Street, London WC1B 3QQ, England; tele­ phone (171) 323 1234, fax (171) 4367315 . Syracuse China by Cleota Reed and Stan Skoczen Founded in 1871 in Syracuse, New York, the Onondaga Pottery and Syracuse China Company was the first successful producer of dinnerware in America on an industrial scale. By documenting the history of the company and the people who worked there, the authors hope to “illuminate a long-neglected but highly

28 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 29 New Books ing acceptance of American-made ceramic In October of 1918, the company’s price products,” explain Reed and Skoczen. list featured over 600 varieties of 60 item types According to the authors, James Pass, whoin 6 styles, with over 400 decoration patterns. interesting aspect of American material cul­ came to work for the company in 1884 as Just a month later, when wartime restrictions ture: ceramic dinnerware as an intersection ofsuperintendent of manufacturing, was instru­went into effect, art, industry and social history.” mental in making the pottery a success. “WhatOnondaga cut its in­ Although the stamp used during the he accomplished as a potter, practical scientist,ventory to about 120 company’s first two years encouraged buyers manager, executive and humane leader left sovarieties of 30 item to think the ware came from England (a lasting an impact that for more than a genera­types in just 2 styles common practice in America at that time), a tion after his death, Onondaga Pottery still (the only 2 it was al­ new stamp featuring the seal of the State of seemed to be, in many respects, ‘his’ com­ lowed to make). “The New York was adopted in 1873: “In droppingpany.” In fact, Pass was the first to formulatecompany used this cut­ reference to England in favor of a bold state­a “china” body from materials found in back to discontinue ment of New York State as its home, the America. He noted in his diary that it was theshapes and items that had waned in popular­ company took an important step in promot­ “best in the world” and “equal to bone china.”ity. In April 1919, when restrictions were lifted, the company’s new price list showed the continuing effect of the cutback by offering only 454 varieties of 64 item categories....The time was right to clean house.” Despite the Depression, the 1930s proved to be one of the company’s most successful decades in terms of design, reputation and, at certain points, sales. After World War II, however, sales declined, due to increased com­ petition from foreign companies. The family-owned pottery became a pub- lic-stock company in 1971; in 1995, it was purchased by Libbey, the largest glassware manufacturer in the world. 280 pages, includ­ ing appendixes on identifying and dating Syra­ cuse China, and china for transportation; notes; bibliography; and index. 31 color and 145 black-and-white photographs. $60.Syra­ cuse University Press, 1600Jamesville Avenue, Syracuse, New York 13244-5160. The Art of Polymer Clay by Donna Kato Although intended as a “how to” for work­ ing with nonfired clay, this well-illustrated guide includes techniques and projects that are also applicable to fired clay. The first section describes the various types of polymer clays, necessary tools, and making “canes” and “loaves” for pat­ terned work. Surface treatments, such as “onlay,” image trans­ fers and metal leaf, are described next. Making and using molds are also ex­ plained, as is imitative techniques (creating pieces that look like stone, jade, opal, etc.). The author then shows how to cover an existing vessel with polymer clay, plus produce a mosaic bowl and a lidded box. The final two chapters cover the construc­ tion of floral forms, figures and a doll’s head. 144 pages, including source directory and index. 291 color photographs. $24.95, softcover. Watson-Guptill Publications, 1515 Broadway, New York, New York 10036. 30 CERAMICS MONTHLY

32 CERAMICS MONTHLY Edward Eberle by Marshall Katz

“Various Doors,” 19 inches in height, porcelain with brushed terra sigillata.

The hallmarks of Pittsburgh ceramist Artistically inclined from youth, to teach high-school art, and to pursue Edward Eberle s work are complex and Eberle planned to pursue a secondary- a master s degree for employment at the continuous figural scenes painted in gray school-teaching career in art when he college level. Yet at the same time, he and black terra sigillata on architectur­ enrolled at Edinboro State College in yearned to become a full-time artist—a ally inspired white porcelain vessels. Ear­ Edinboro, Pennsylvania. During the dream that would not be fulfilled for lier in his career, Eberle concentrated four-year program, he was exposed to 17 years. on simpler, familiar forms, but more every major art discipline, but was im­ Eberle was admitted into the gradu­ recently he has challenged his throwing mediately captivated by the challenge ate program at the New York State Col­ skills by creating larger, more complex of ceramics. By the time he had earned lege of Ceramics at Alfred University, sculptural shapes reminiscent of archi­ a B.S. degree in art education in 1967, studying with Robert Turner, Ted tectural forms from past eras. he had decided to forgo his initial plan Randall, Val Cushing, Daniel Rhodes,

January 1998 33 “Teapot Study,” 10 inches in height, wheel thrown and assembled.

Bill Parry and John Woods. On his way His work at the potter s wheel can be forming process, rather that I’m drawn to earning an M.F.A. in ceramic design, time-consuming, particularly for the to throwing. Most of the thrown forms he honed his skills and technical knowl­ larger objects, which take up to a day- are altered into square, rectilinear and edge, and developed a philosophical re­ and-a-half, and may be reworked sev­ pentagonal forms. And because the lationship between art and life. eral times. However, Eberle loves painting of each form takes so long, I Following graduate school, Eberle “throwing and have from the first. Its don’t need to throw many pieces. I be­ accepted a position as an instructor at not that I’m biased against any other lieve this greatly helps to keep my work the Philadelphia College of Art. Four fresh and enjoyable.” years later, he joined the faculty at The use of terra sigillata as a me­ Carnegie-Mellon University in Pitts­ dium on ceramics can trace its anteced­ burgh at the College of Fine Arts Ce­ ents to sixth-century B.C. Greek vases ramics Department. from Attica, and later to first-century In 1984, he left his post as an associ­ A.D. Roman pottery. A Greek term ate professor at C.M.U. to become a meaning “sealed earth” (many early full-time studio artist. Throughout the pieces were marked with the impressed years of study and teaching, he “had seals of the workshop owners), terra sig­ been searching for a satisfying mode of illata is comprised of the very finest expression. Then, after 22 years of ex­ particles of any clay. perimentation, I tried applying black According to Eberle, the material has terra sigillata to white porcelain. As soon many advantages. “It can be painted on as the brush touched the surface, I knew leather-hard or dry clay. It is opaque I had found what I was searching for.” even when thin, which gives me Now, 13 years later, Eberle works flexibility in painting and scratching only in porcelain (at one time he made back through. It does not stick to itself large urns from stoneware). Wheel or the kiln shelf. It adds a tough, imper­ thrown and altered, the forms are vious coating to the ware, and it is easy painted with terra sigillatas, then once to make. The process gives me great fired in a reduction atmosphere to Cone Edward Eberle, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. control over the image while remaining 9-10 in a forced-air gas kiln. undoubtedly ceramic.

34 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Tincture,” 11 inches in diameter, wheel-thrown porcelain, with brushed terra sigillata.

“The low-tech, universal preparation The all-purpose recipe is: 70% water “I use a clear siphon hose (purchased I use is to suspend clay in a watery by weight, 30% clay by weight, 0.5% at a local aquarium store) to remove the solution, allowing the heavier particles suspension agent. He recommends set­ terra sigillata, carefully bypassing the to drop out, leaving the top clay layer to tling the mixture in a glass jar “to see water layer and trying to avoid the consist of the finest particles. The clay the clay layers, and later to aid in the ‘heavier layers underneath. Even though source can be any of the commercial visual control of the siphon hose. Add the layers are difficult to distinguish, I clays. Some fireclays and red clays pro­ the suspension agent (trisodium phos­ siphon the top layer directly into a low, duce beautiful colors. Backyard or local phate) to the water and stir to ensure wide tray, which acts as an evaporator. clay can also be used and may have good dissolution. The clay is then added Over a period of several days, the mix­ special or meaningful characteristics. and stirred thoroughly. The jar should ture attains the desired consistency (I Even mixtures containing fluxes and/or stand undisturbed for two to four prefer the viscosity of coffee cream) colorants may have their own special days—however long it takes for the very through passive evaporation. I carefully attributes. Experimentation is the rule top layer to be clear water. The top layer pour the contents into another con­ to obtain suitable results.” of clay is the terra sigillata. tainer, leaving behind some of the

January 1998 35 heavier particles. Ball milling the clay increases the yield, particularly if it con­ tains colorant, but I prefer the low-tech, silent approach. “I usually use a Grolleg kaolin with Harshaw stain added to the prepara­ tion. Frugality prevents me from discard­ ing expensive black stain with the dregs.” Eberle attempts to paint his work exclusively by natural light, a difficult feat in Pittsburgh where many days are overcast, and winter light fades by late afternoon. He neither makes sketches on paper nor directly pencils on the porcelain surface. His maze of overlap­ ping and adjacent figures, mostly nudes, are painted in almost a “stream of con­ sciousness,” yet each has a starting and ending point where the contiguous figures merge. Most designs are continuous, as op­ posed to his less-frequent paneled works. He uses “natural brushes such as yucca and papyrus, as well as my fingers, to paint the broader and faster under­ painting. The detailed drawings are done with sable brushes.” Ironically, it is the simplest of devices “Protected Under a Roof of Alternatives,” 20 1 A inches that has eluded Eberle in sharp contrast in height, wheel-thrown and altered porcelain. to the complexity of much of his work. Says Eberle, “I cant find a suitable gray,” for most of his figures are painted in the largest takes 24 hours (active time). grays and black. “To achieve the proper The studio is also equipped with a de­ shade of gray, I add metals such as airing pug mill, which has virtually chrome, which may predominate, in eliminated wedging. this case giving a green tint to the color.” About the direction of his work, As Eberle s works have become larger Eberle comments: “When I was in and more complex, he has felt com­ graduate school, I began to realize that pelled to paint more intricate and elabo­ ceramic objects have a meaning, as in rate scenes, nearly filling every space. the history of the ceramic vessel, the Even the inside of open vessels and the vessel as a self-recorded history, the ves­ underside of the base may contain sel as archetype—and therefore my life painted elements. Yet he retains a keen could be more meaningful. Ceramics sense of spatial proportion, recognizing provided a very optimistic outlook. I the relationship between the black paint­ have not been disappointed. In the fu­ ings and the white porcelain. ture, I hope to achieve much larger- Firing times vary by size of kiln and sized work as my throwing and painterly contents. The studio has three kilns: a skills improve.” small one (5 cubic feet of stacking space); When queried about advice for a large 100-cubic-foot car kiln; and a younger artists, Eberle quickly responds, new 15-cubic-foot car kiln, which will “Learn to trust yourself. Don’t under­ also serve as a wax burn-out kiln for estimate the need to practice every day, “Wanderers in Light,” 15 inches in bronze casting. All three kilns are height, container with five lidded and recognize the importance of an in­ equipped with “used” forced-air burn­ sections, porcelain with terra sigillata, spiring and comfortable workspace. It ers. Firing in the small lain typically by Edward Eberle, Pittsburgh. will allow you to do what you need to takes 9-10 hours (active time), while do without hindrances.” ▲

36 CERAMICS MONTHLY Jim Malone

“The best pots tend to make This is done deliberately so themselves,” observes Brit­ that considerations of tech­ ish potter Jim Malone. “The nique can be forgotten and quiet space within, that pots I can concentrate all of my come from, can very easily energies creatively.” be destroyed by constant in­ He uses white, ocher and terruption, deliveries, low- red-clay slips, as well as flying aircraft, etc.; and temmoku and ash-based when this happens, I will glazes, to enhance the sur­ spend a day or two in the faces of these pieces. “The garden, or make some clay finished pot must emerge or do some other menial as a unified and harmoni­ task until quietness returns ous whole,” he notes. “For and making can resume.” this to happen, a necessary Featured in recent solo dialogue must take place be­ exhibitions at Bolton (En­ tween pot and glaze, and gland) Museum and Art any decoration must be an Gallery, and at Galerie Bes­ integral part of the form.” son in London, Malone’s Firing is done in a kiln wood-fired stoneware pots based on the Oriental mul­ are thrown on a kick wheel. tichambered climbing de­ “Making sessions,” he ex­ sign. The third wood-fired plains, “are usually quite kiln Malone has built, it also long and can go on for any­ has two oil burners on the thing up to three months. front of the first chamber.

Jim Malone throwing at a kick wheel in his Ainstable, England, studio; “I have never used an electric wheel in my life,” he says, “except when forced to do so in a demonstration situation.”

Notes on the glaze combinations and application methods Unomi, approximately 5 inches in height, used on each piece are kept in spiral-bound notebooks. stoneware, with black on white glaze.

January 1998 37 Each chamber has a capacity of about 50 cubic feet, and the kiln takes 20 or more hours to reach Cone 11. “My timetable is organized around what­ ever exhibitions I have in any given year, and firings are scheduled accord­ ingly,” Malone acknowledges. “This results in much emotional pressure. The gallery awaits the work, the invitations are already out and the pots, as yet unseen, are cooling in the kiln. Was it a good firing? Was it a disaster? Five long days as the kiln cools. Pressure.” ▲

Bottle with hakame decoration, 13 inches in height.

Stoneware pitcher, 13 inches in height, with stamped decoration, and ash and river clay glaze.

Glazed ware ready to be loaded into Malone’s wood- and oil-fired climbing kiln.

38 CERAMICS MONTHLY Wheel-thrown and faceted pitcher, approximately 15 inches in height, stoneware, wood fired, by Jim Malone, Ainstable, England.

January 1998 39 Seashell Fuming by Kelvin Bradford

The challenge of clays, form and firing is a never-ending delight. I started collecting ceramics in the early 1970s and shortly thereafter had my first lessons at Auckland Studio Pot­ ters. I was immediately intrigued with the form of vases—particularly Asian- style vases. Then, in the early 1980s, I saw an exhibition of anagama work by Chester Nealie, now a resident in Australia, and was surprised by the looseness of his forms. Subsequently, I started experiment­ ing with throwing asymmetrical forms. At the same time, the idea of producing natural effects, which to me provide unequalled beauty, acted as a catalyst for seashell fuming experimentation in a gas-fired kiln. The concept of this fuming method came from Peter Alger, a New Zealand ceramics artist who had already done some firings with seashells, while tech­ nical support came from Len Castle, a close friend who made many help­ ful suggestions. The Clay Body “Midnight,” approximately 5 inches in height, wheel-thrown Akatsuchi clay Originally, I used a commercial fired inverted in a saggar filled with oyster shells. iron-bearing stoneware mixed with grog for strength. I then changed to a white handbuilding clay, naturally call “Midnight,” which was thrown grogged, with enormous strength, from the iron-rich Japanese clay, was which is particularly well suited to achieved by firing it inverted to in­ asymmetrical forms. I had used this crease fuming results. Attempts to re­ white clay exclusively until recent ex­ produce that type of effect with similar periments with a Japanese clay, which clays have not succeeded. has extremely high iron content (in the vicinity of 12%), but it is not Slips readily available in New Zealand. The My slips consist of 80% kaolin and Japanese clay has permitted me to de­ 20% ball clay, the key element being velop a different range of effects, capi­ the ball clay, a naturally occurring New talizing on the high iron content. Zealand clay that has a very high iron I have now tested about six iron- content. Known as “Hyde ball clay,” bearing clays, but no two reacted en­ it will produce slightly different re­ tirely the same. Results were sults, depending on where in the pit dependent on the particular iron con­ it was mined. tent of each clay. For example, the Kelvin Bradford faceting the walls The slips are applied to the pots unusual effect created on the piece I of a loosely thrown vase. when they are leather hard. The best

CERAMICS MONTHLY Vase with sequential flashing in a rainbowlike band, approximately 18 inches in height.

Wheel-thrown stoneware vase with kaolin slip, approximately 7 inches in height, fumed with rock oyster shells.

results are obtained if they are brushed Changing the size of the saggar will Then instead of fuming to 1050°C on rather than dipped. I tend to build affect the fuming time and results. Of and refiring to 1280°C, I decided to up several layers of slip over a period course the lighter the saggar, the faster fire straight through. At this stage, I of two days. one can fire. It is also possible to con­ was still firing in oxidation. But in struct minisaggars within the three- one firing, I obtained brilliant flashing The Saggar chamber situation, which I have often of color, and after some pondering, I have tried loading the kiln in a done. However, it is essential to keep decided that perhaps there had been number of different ways with differ­ variables to a minimum in a controlled some reduction in the firing within ently sized saggars, and now have a situation. the saggar. By reducing from 1000°C permanent saggar that occupies 80% The earliest experiments were car­ until 1280°C in the next firing, I pro­ of the kiln. The base consists of two ried out utilizing bisqued pots fumed duced some outstanding red flashes. large shelves, which have been cut in shells to 1050°C (1922°F). These From that time on, I have always re­ around the burners to maximize kiln pots were then taken out of the saggar, duced heavily from 1000°C to the space, and a 1.27 centimeter gap in placed in the kiln with an ordinary end of the firing. the center. This gap is maintained glaze firing and refired in oxidation to throughout two additional chambers, 1280°C (2336°F). This produced un­ Seashells each constructed with a 0.5 centime­ usual effects, inevitably quiet with an I have tried a variety of shells, but ter gap for breathing at the top. absence of bright color. the rock oyster seems to produce the

January 1998 41 best “flashing” shell; it will yield vivid red flashings. Using just the flanges of the rock oyster, which are much thin­ ner, will produce yellow flashings, al­ most white. The mussel shell will produce more muted orange flashings. Crushed smaller shells will produce pastel brown tones and sometimes a very unusual white splatter. With dry shells (dried in the sun for a week), the tonings will be softer. I found that very old collected shells would not fume at all; however, I was able to utilize old seashells to obtain a ghosting effect. Conversely, if the shells are soaked in salt water, a differ­ ent range of effects may be created, including heavy salt encrustation. I usually collect shells within two hours either side of high water and will quickly wash them, as (particu­ larly with the oyster shells) it is pos­ sible for mud or sand to be trapped inside. These will leave undesirable heavy black streaks on the pieces. Vase, approximately 7 inches in height, iron-rich stoneware

Loading and Firing with kaolin slip’fired inverted t0 1280 °c (2336°F). For a long time, I have preset the pots on pads in the saggar. It is easier to plan what effects may be attempted when one first decides which pots are going to be fired. Please note, I always wear a mask and gloves when loading or unloading the kiln. With preset planning, the only problem that I have encountered is positioning shells near the central air space. It is difficult to prevent them from actually falling through the air space. However, it is surprising how one can improvise and support shells as they are positioned around the pieces and built up in layers. Loading may take up to three hours, even for a medium-sized gas kiln, and is entirely dependent upon the number of pots being fired and the effects I am trying to achieve. Very often the shells are wet, there­ fore it is risky to immediately com­ mence firing. My kilns have electric Seashell-fumed vase, approximately heaters and I usually preheat over­ 16 inches in height, by Kelvin Bradford, night to 150°C (302°F). Warkworth, New Zealand.

42 CERAMICS MONTHLY Firing takes seven to ten hours. Be­ tween 450°C (842°F) and 600°C (1112°F), the shells will sometimes audibly “crack.” The recommended peak temperature is 1250°-1290°C (2282°-2354°F) with a one-hour soak. Just above 1290°C, “texture” is created, and it will change into a glaze and even run, which is undesirable. Refiring is possible but the results are somewhat unpredictable. I only attempt it if, for example, one side of a piece is completely bland or there is insufficient color. When refiring, I place a minimum of shells where there is an absence of color.

The Fuming Sequence Most shells will not flash above their own height. The exception is the rock oyster shell, which will fume Rock oyster shells up to 1.27 centimeters when placed are gathered against a piece. The necks of pieces within two hours of high tide, then without flashing can be unattractive; washed to remove to avoid this, shells must be packed unwanted sand up to the rim, or the piece placed as and mud. close as 1.27 centimeters to the top of the saggar, which will reflect down and give reverse flashing. It is also possible to suspend shells within the neck to create additional color. In or­ der to increase the fuming effects at the top of a piece, I will fire it in­ verted. The results obtained are often extremely powerful and sometimes gaps must be left in order for colors to break, saving monotony or over­ powering effects. There appears to be a definite se­ quence of flashing. I did not realize this until I started experimenting with breaking up overpowering flashing ef­ fects. The first stage is red where the shells are thin, then there is a sequen­ tial change of colors in a rainbowlike band that can be up to 2.54 centime­ ters wide. I find being able to create colors like these using natural seashells in a gas kiln extraordinary, and plan to continue to experiment with saggar The shells are carefully positioned in and around the pots : building up in layers to avoid having any fall through fuming techniques to achieve a range the central air space. of effects. ▲

January 1998 43 Betsy Rosenmiller by Matthew T. Baker

Handbuilt and slip-cast porcelain vessels by Arizona artist Betsy Rosenmiller were exhibited recently at the Holter Museum of Art in Helena, Montana. The pots in the show represent a new direction for the artist, one that began during a summer residency at the Archie Bray Foundation in Helena. Traditional forms with two-dimensional decoration have given way to the current work, which better reflects her desire to see the natural world merge with functional ware. “My work is about organic time, the growth process; this is why nature, specifically leaves, play such an important role in the surface design of my pieces,” Rosenmiller explains. “For me, leaves represent change and the cycle of life and death, and “Whiskey Set,” 7½ inches in height, handbuilt growth and decay, repeated every year.” ▲ porcelain with applied leaf decoration.

“Sugar and Creamer,” 6½ inches in height, porcelain, cast, handbuilt and assembled.

“Teapot,” 7 inches in height, cast, handbuilt and assembled porcelain, by Betsy Rosenmiller, Tempe, Arizona.

44 CERAMICS MONTHLY Gina Bobrowski Of Geography and Animal Dreams by Sam McCarty

I^udzu is an exotic plant that weaves miles per hour, we most often glimpse que, where she is an assistant professor its tentacles into 4-foot-thick carpets in these galleries as bulky forms, faintly of ceramics. clearings all across the lush, moist hills resembling the muscular trees and In two recent solo exhibitions, of the southeastern United States. It etched slopes they smother. The imagi­ Bobrowski revealed her kinship to kudzu climbs unimpeded into the canopies of native passerby might see mimosan cathedrals. Her figures are voluminous, southern pine forests, creating gothic mammoths or green giants lumbering faintly resembling the arrangements of vaults of greenery—glass windows along at only 10 inches per day at the bone, flesh and skin we know the hu­ stained with chlorophyll. The small ani­ peak of their active period. man body to be. They are inflated, their mals that are born and grow in the These forms are voluminous and vi­ articulations giving way to broad areas midst of these toothless briar patches brant. Their surfaces are dense and com­ of rolling two-dimensionality. The un­ must see their world first as chaotic, plex arrangements of lightness and derstated forms give a simplicity that intertwined layers of darkness and light. shadow. So are the ceramic and mixed- sharply contrasts the complexity of the Their home beneath the mass is dark media sculptures of Louisiana native surfaces. Layers of drawings and paint­ and cool, but when the noon sun moves Gina Bobrowski. She spent a musically ings create a texturally bristling surface over the land, it must cast a warm glow rich childhood under the live oak cano­ that reveals the subtle and carefully through the thinnest layers. As the crit­ pies of New Orleans; came to artistic searching mind of Bobrowski. ters mature, the ceiling of their dense maturity as a graduate student at the In a time when so many people fear abode becomes as familiar and com­ University of Georgia in Athens, an area the memories of their early life, forting as the scent of their mother. that some might call the kudzu capital Bobrowski seems to relish the past, giv­ A traveler through Americas kudzu of the world; and was recently trans­ ing her works a library of personal his­ country would rarely experience it with planted to the sandy desert near the tory. She arranges memories and such intimacy. Driving by at 65 or 70 University of New Mexico in Albuquer­ experiences in a variety of compositions.

“Prima,” front and back views, 69 inches in height, handbuilt red earthenware with slips, glazes and stains, and mixed media.

January 1998 45 Her intuitive yet highly developed sense of design allows these compositions to become spirited figures within intimate surroundings. Bobrowski admits that in order to achieve such a unity without analysis, she must cast off cynicism and just “keep believing that (the figures) are somehow alive.” If one accepts this belief, then her use of found objects becomes completely natural. In “Ah m’anita,” one could just believe that a woman with child’s hands is holding an old red top, admiring its symmetry with her woman’s mind rather than spinning it with her child’s hands. By bringing forth such an image, Bobrowski can speak about an ironic truth. The human spirit can be riddled with complexity, and as simple as a whim at the same moment. Without even scratching the surface, one can ponder this and other ironies in the subtle juxtaposing of forms in Bobrowski’s work. “Prima” suggests something equivalent to a child care­ fully searching through an old cedar chest in her grandparents’ dusty attic. The arrangement is a bowl, a wheel and a girl who shares her sacrum with the hips of a rabbit perched on its hutch. Their posture is like that of objects that spend years in such sentimental storage rooms as basements and dusty attics, and for those of us less tidy, junk rooms and closets. Bobrowski describes “Prima” as “the violin-shaped girl who took my breath away.” “Prima” is like a woman remember­ ing the girl she was, and with changes of scale, she is becoming the girl she was. She’s doubly represented by the rabbit and the pointy-hipped girl. The relative scale of the rabbit and the hutch evoke a sense of the passage of time. Within a single image, the animal has outgrown the comforts of her crib, but has no need to wander. It is from the haunches of this resting creature, a point of immense potential energy, that springs “Ah m’anita,” front view, 46 inches in height, red earthenware and mixed media. the torso of the violin-shaped girl—a girl assembled from memories. She’s standing at that invisible chest reading one can always find acorns, old or new. One irony leads to another and one old letters, playing with jacks and try­ One can also be certain that somewhere interpretation of Bobrowski’s forms ing on grandma’s fancy hats. below that oak are the remnants of the could probably lead to another ad The girl who is Gina Bobrowski has acorn that once contained the tree. It infinitum. But the surfaces must and come to understand the significance of leads to another irony that time can sliould be scratched and, in many ways, objects as containers for memories. In stand still and move freely in the same they are more engaging than the forms the hutch she has stored a few simply breath. One object can represent the on which they exist. A great deal of the crafted containers. Under an oak tree past and the present. imagery is done while the clay is still

46 CERAMICS MONTHLY memories, revealing a network of inter­ related paintings and drawings that not only exist but make their homes on the greater form. The surfaces can be as busy and var­ ied as life in the country. “Ah m’anita” holds a catlike creature on her chest. A kidney-shaped bald blue head cranes around her hip and looks with squint­ ing eyes across her back, becoming a perch for a glancing bird and a feeder post for a dusty brown woodpecker. That peering blue head becomes a calm blue sky for another cat who seems to think he needs a bath. Perhaps the char­ acter who is most comfortable is the old red cat who won’t even get up to shake as a bottle of silvery blue water spills its contents around his feet. He’s busy ex­ amining an old red clay pot. It is primarily on the backs of these big clay figures that Bobrowski satiates her desire to tell stories. The fronts are more structured; knees, bellies and breasts tend to dictate imagery to the artist. But the backs are loose and full of motion. What would be more subtle articulation of figurative form gives way to contradictory brushstrokes and the story takes over. A large part of what is being com­ municated is a feeling of the environ­ ment where Bobrowski became self-aware. As we know, this environ­ ment is the sodden and densely verdant bayou country of southern Louisiana, or the cosmopolitan and subtropical flair of New Orleans. She’s exploring the tangible world that begins somewhere on the frayed edges of childhood, where names and faces and surroundings become famil­ iar. It’s the equivalent time in life to a lucid dream, where she could choose to ignore life’s mysteries and go about the day’s affairs, or saunter along with sharp eyes and channel what she sees out­ ward. A toddler does this as naturally as “Ah m’anita,” back view, by Gina Bobrowski, Corrales, New Mexico. breathing. But eventually, most toddlers choose to move on to adolescence, through puberty and into the more leather hard; in this way, the images overwhelming the viewer. But as one structured and less mysterious world of become intrinsic to their form. Often­ becomes more familiar with the work, adulthood. The wide, wise eyes of child­ times, subtle marks in the clay inciden­ the markings become like the spots on hood give way to analytical glances. tal to the building process suggest the an old dalmatian. They imprint on the While most choose to grow out of in­ faces and figures, and serve as a starting mind in peaceful moments of admira­ nocence, Bobrowski and others embrace point for the embellishment. tion and every once in a while you the purest form of wisdom, where cyni­ Formally, the intense activity of the notice one that you hadn’t noticed be­ cism is wafted away like steam rising surfaces can be an affront to the senses, fore. The images root themselves like from a hot spring. ▲

January 1998 47

Functional worlcs by 45 clay artists were featured in “AnythingThat Pours,” a recent exhibition at Tennessee Tech­ nological University’s Appalachian Cen­ ter for Crafts in Smithville. When deciding on a theme for the exhibition, curator Stephen Robison didn’t want “just another teapot show,” so he asked artists to send “anything that pours. It was a great place to start,” he concluded. “Although the show did have a lot of teapots, it also had batter bowls, ewers, coffeepots, pitchers, creamers and a wa­ tering can.” Robison’s goal was to create an edu­ cational exhibition for students attend-

Ewer, 6 inches in height, fired to Cone 10 then multifired, $170, by Charlie Olson, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin.

Teapot, 18 inches in height, reduction- fired stoneware, $100, by Michelle Coakes, DeKalb, Illinois.

Teapots, 5 inches in height, wood and soda fired, $55 and $45, by J. Daniel Murphy, Iowa City, Iowa.

January 1998 49 ing summer workshops and courses at the Appalachian Center for Crafts and area schools. “Trying to represent as many different aesthetics and tech­ niques” as possible, he selected wheel- Whiskey set, to thrown (and altered), handbuilt and 9 inches in height, wood and soda slip-cast works, which used not only fired, $175, by glazes, but also sgraffito imagery, resist Josh DeWeese, decoration, etc., as surface enhancers. Helena, Montana. Firing techniques included everything from wood, salt and soda to low-tem- perature multiple firings. ▲

Watering can, 15 inches in height, wood and soda fired, $150, by Shannon Williams, Logan, Utah.

Beaked pitcher, 6 inches in height, stoneware with kaolin slip, wood fired to Cone 10, $60, by Jan McKeachie Johnston, River Falls, Wisconsin.

Ewer, 5 inches in height, porcelain, fired in oxidation to Cone 10, $195, by Rebecca Harvey, Columbus, Ohio.

50 CERAMICS MONTHLY Joy Brown by Rich Pomerantz

Visitors to Joy Brown’s studio (left) in rural Connecticut are greeted by examples of her signature work—wood-fired stoneware figures.

ne approaches Joy Browns however, a closer look at the work and At Tamba, she learned the discipline Connecticut studio by driv­ the artist reveals the path taken from required of potters in Japan. “The com­ ing down a long dirt drive­ apprenticeship with a 13th-generation mitment and focus demanded in this Oway, which appears to lead directlyTamba into potter in a traditional Japanese apprenticeship were absolute. There was a large marshy area in the woods. After pottery, followed by two years learning little spoken guidance; all learning was crossing over a stream, the road turns how to fire with wood from potter Shige by osmosis. I was told what to do to uphill and curves through a grove of Morioka, to her current studio in the assist, and I did it. In the evening after trees onto a plateau overlooking spar­ New England countryside. the family had gone home, the other kling North Spectacle Lake. Visitors are Brown has spent a large part of her apprentices and I were allowed to work then greeted by three of Brown’s life in Japan, working for Japanese pot­ at the wheel. We were instructed to figurative sculptures, seemingly contem­ ters, studying Japanese ceramics and make one specific shape of sake cup for plating the quiet and beauty of the New kilns, and simply absorbing the Japa­ practice. We made thousands of them England woods. Just beyond these nese way of life. The daughter of medi­ that year, never firing one. Everything I figures is a three-building compound cal missionaries, she lived in Japan for learned in college didn’t amount to consisting of Browns studio and kiln most of her first 18 years. She was first diddley squat in that apprenticeship.” shed (housing a 30-foot-long wood-fired exposed to clay through the local Japa­ She found the Morioka apprentice­ anagama), the house she shares with her nese ceramics collected by her mother ship that followed much “friendlier.” family, and her husbands woodwork­ and used by her family. She not only learned kilnbuilding, but ing studio. After obtaining a B.A. in fine arts also had the freedom to expand her Brown creates figures in a variety of studying ceramic sculpture at Eckerd throwing techniques beyond sake cups. poses, reminding one simultaneously of College, a small liberal arts school in St. After two years with Morioka, she spent wise elders and playful children. Their Petersburg, Florida, she returned to Ja­ some time at a pottery in Okinawa, genesis in traditional wood-fired Japa­ pan to work first for Toshio Ichino, the then studied Japanese and Korean kilns. nese ware may not be readily apparent; Tamba potter, then Morioka. However, five years after returning to

January 1998 51 Japan as an adult, the constraints of the strict roles and duties compelled her to return to the States for good. Unsure of direction upon her return, she traveled the country, visiting pot­ ters. While with Paul Chaleff in Pine Plains, New York, near the Connecticut border, she was urged to remain to help him build his wood-fired kiln, and stayed the better part of a year. It was “a debriefing time, which I used to see how pottery was done in America. I had to learn what glaze ma­ terials were called in English, not to mention get through the culture shock.” While at Chaleff s, she learned of an opening at Webatuck, a nearby craft village, which she promptly assumed. Dealing with tourists and working in a public place forced Brown to learn to sell and market her wares. She found this especially difficult, as she was work­ ing from a Japanese aesthetic, while American tourists wanted “pretty” pots. “I hated the show-biz touristy part. People just didn’t want to buy what I had to offer.” Her sales there consisted of cups, mugs and “funky little oil lamps,” a tourist curiosity whose popularity still confounds her. The Japanese respect shibui, which Brown defines as “a se­ rene, simple, quiet but powerful and sophisticated beauty, which sits there and doesn’t jump out at you, but rather grows on you.” That concept was lost on her customers at Webatuck, “but I sure got over being shy.” To survive, she drew on the disci­ pline she learned at Tamba and stuck to it, working with attention and skill, knowing that her attitude and spirit would be reflected in the pieces. She stayed at Webatuck for five years. Then, through a friend, she was able to buy 5 acres of land in nearby Kent, Connecticut, a small town known for its rugged and picturesque terrain (the Appalachian Trail passes through), wealthy weekend inhabitants and art galleries. Her property is isolated yet “Two Standing Together,” 21 inches in height, handbuilt, close enough to nearby towns to allow unglazed stoneware, wood fired in an anagama. visitors easy access. She and her hus­ band built the house and studios, as sculptures. Knowing she wanted to ex­ She also was forced to build on a ledge, well as the anagama, using 28 tons of pand the figures, she designed the kiln endemic to the property, which less­ brick salvaged from an industrial site. from the standpoint of knowing what ened the slope of the kiln base a bit, but Just before she left the craft village, she wanted to put into it. The door this suited her. she had begun to create small, human­ would need to be larger than the Japa­ While the steep slope of the Japanese oid figures, precursors of her current nese kilns, which have small entries. kilns helps create a fierce draft, allowing

52 CERAMICS MONTHLY the kiln are made by Brown and other potters who sign on to help with the annual firing. The figures themselves are made standing, sitting, relaxed or on the verge of movement, their faces reduced to a round ground, upon which Brown places a small straight nose, with small ovals cut out for the eyes and the mouth. This simplicity allows her to create a wide range of expression. The figures’ bodies are likewise simple, consisting of torso, arms, hands with sausage fingers, legs and feet. Each figure is coil and slab built from the bottom up, using no armatures or frame. Feet are oversized to lend stabil­ ity to standing pieces, which can take up to a few weeks to complete. The coils are applied on the inside of the growing feet and legs, “like tsubo stor­ age jars in Japan.” She joins each coil by pinching, then paddles the outside sur­ face. To prevent the edge from drying too fast, it is covered with a damp rag. The torso is begun with a slab, which is stood on end and attached to the already-coiled legs. Coiled arms and neck are then added. The face is made out of a pancake-thin slab, with the nose pushed out from behind. She then plays with the expression by cutting out the mouth and eyes. Each piece is given its own personality. While Brown may try to plan the expression and position she gives a piece, in the end, “it’s like capturing little spir­ its, and each one is different.” Indeed it is the “spirit” of each piece that she considers the true nature of her work. “The expressions in the earlier pieces were more self-contained and now they are more outwardly oriented. I’m also more in tune with the nuances of the clay, the kiln and the process and what I want out of the firing.” And Brown knows that she doesn’t always have the last word about a figure’s appearance. The firing can even change the expression, since the face is quite “Standing with Hands at Side,” 42 inches in height, thin at the eye and mouth holes, so a coil- and slab-built stoneware, wood fired to Cone 4-5. little warping or coloration from ash deposits can have a profound effect. for dramatic ash deposits, she wanted temperature is coolest. The effect Her figures range from 2 feet to al­ the flame to “waft through the cham­ matches her clay, which she has mixed most 5 feet in height. The larger ones bers, leaving a softer gradation of ash.” from a simple recipe of two parts Geor­ can weigh over 100 pounds. Each is She maximizes this effect by placing her gia red brick clay to one part Cedar carried to the kiln and loaded on the more important figures at the largest Heights Goldart, with a little buff grog same board on which it is built. area in the back of the kiln, where the added. The pots stacked at the front of Larger figures are made in two sec-

January 1998 53 Standing figures are coil and slab built from the The face is formed from a thin slab with bottom up; oversized feet lend stability. the nose pushed out from behind.

tions. After the firing, these are joined at the belly by a flanged lip. Large standing figures are made with a clay crosspiece in the midsection. Through this a metal pole is inserted from the feet; the pole is then bolted through a wooden base under the feet. Lately, Brown has also been creating a series of pictorial reliefs, each the size of a kiln shelf. In a style reminiscent of a Henri Rousseau painting, the scenes are populated by Browns whimsically rotund figures and animals (added recently to her repertoire after a trip to the circus). Brown uses no glazes, so the placement of each piece in the kiln is critical to its final appearance. But after 25 years of firing with wood, Brown has no illusions about controlling the effect. She simply applies lessons from each firing to subsequent kiln loads. After pinching to join, the surface is While pots are piled and stacked, nothing is stacked on paddled smooth. the four or five large figures loaded for each firing. The reliefs also fit one to a shelf, leaving plenty of room in the atmo­ sphere for ash to “waft” through to adjacent pieces. Firing the kiln once a year is akin to an annual harvest. Brown jokingly refers to each load as her “yearly crop.” But relying on one firing certainly carries its own form of stress. Problems with a firing can significantly affect her income for the year. Browns work schedule revolves around her family. She is usually the first up in the house. The bulk of her work takes place while her son is at school, although she “pinches off more time” as the firing gets closer. Evenings are for the house and paperwork. The “crucial lesson” she learned in Japan was that disci­ plined throwing promotes a grounding and a centering of the spirit, “allowing the spiritual, physical and emotional parts of the person to balance and integrate, to help you Subtle variations in expression are achieved become more whole, which is what life is all about.” ▲ by cutting out eyes and mouth.

54 CERAMICS MONTHLY Wood Firing Notes

Up to 8 tons of hardwood are used to fuel Joy Browns anagama for the seven-day firing. For the first three or four days, it is heated very slowly with a small fire outside the firebox at the front of the kiln. During this time, the ports on one side of the kiln are left open, to allow all moisture remaining in the ware to escape. These are closed as the fire is built up and moved into the firebox, where it is stoked from above through a stokehole built into the kiln door. Over the next two to three days, regular stoking is done in two-person 12-hour shifts, with the goal of bring­ ing the front of the kiln (which is filled with stoneware pots) to Cone 9-10 by the seventh day. When the front of the kiln reaches or is close to temperature, The 30-foot-long anagama consumes up to 8 tons of hardwood during the typical seven-day firing.

Brown’s figures are placed at the rear of the kiln; when loading, the position of each piece relative to the flow of ash throughout the kiln is considered.

January 1998 55 usually at the end of day six or early on draft. Large pieces may be loaded near day seven, wood is stoked through the one another, but not too many. The ports at the side of the kiln in order to ashes need room to move around. raise the temperature in the middle and Once temperature is reached, the rear sections. By the middle of day seven, ports and all reachable surfaces are sealed the front is sealed and only the side with a slurry made of slip, sand and ports are used. straw. The kiln is allowed to cool for The rear of the kiln, where Browns another week before being opened. Even sculptures are placed, reaches about then, the pots are still quite warm, with Cone 5. In addition to cone packs and a few too hot to handle. If there is any draw rings placed strategically through­ doubt, they are left tacool slowly inside out the kiln, two pyrometers (one in the kiln, so as not to encourage any front and one in back) help determine undue stress. variations in temperature. As the ware is removed, it is laid out Placement of each piece relative to on the ground in the same sequence it the flow of the ash through the kiln is was placed in the kiln, so that it can all considered when loading. If no other be viewed together and any trends at­ pot is available, Brown inserts “filler” For the first three or four days, a small fire tributable to location inside the kiln pots in strategic locations to direct the outside the firebox heats the kiln slowly. can be identified.

In addition to cone packs and draw rings placed throughout the kiln, two pyrometers (one in front and one in back) help monitor temperature.

56 CERAMICS MONTHLY An Iron in the Fire by Skeff Thomas

Wood-fired porcelain cups, 4 inches in height, $22 each.

Just over 15 years ago, I witnessed a learn how to make a good pot, and to result through a daily regimen of hard miraculous transformation. Before my explore how I can use clay as an expres­ work. I am convinced that it is only eyes, common clay was transformed by sive material. Each series of pots takes through a strict, self-imposed work ethic hands and fire into objects of remark­ time to develop. The evolution of form that, to use an old blacksmithing phrase, able beauty, into works of art. In an (and thought) is an ongoing process, I am able to keep “an iron in the fire.” instant, I was hooked. and determination to improve can only The year I spent as an apprentice I was 18 then, a student at Lewis and with Toshiko Takaezu provided a strong Clark College, enrolled in my first pot­ foundation for my beliefs about the tery class. In similar settings, many oth­ merits and joys of work. Through her ers in the ceramic arts have experienced quiet example, Toshiko instilled in me a that same watershed moment of revela­ work ethic centered around the daily tion when they knew beyond any doubt activities of not just making pottery, that they simply must find a way to but of being a potter. Gradually, I came keep their hands in clay and their spirits to realize that those activities that seemed joined with that transformative fire. most mundane—the making and wedg­ Understanding how to use fire as a ing of clay, mixing glazes, even sweep­ tool or vehicle for clays transformation ing the studio—were as important to has been a consistent and driving force my growth as the long hours of studio in my creative life. This quest has led time so necessary in developing ones me into a wide range of experiences and individual style. settings—from undergraduate study, to I appreciate the value of my experi­ an intense apprenticeship with Toshiko ence as an apprentice on two levels. The Takaezu, to graduate study, to a year­ first, which I call the physical level, com­ long artist-in-residence position, to sev­ bined all of the necessary chores, the eral years as a full-time studio potter. daily labor of the position. In addition Skeff Thomas throwing a porcelain Through these stages of develop­ cylinder in Colorado; he is now to the routine work of maintaining and ment, I have come to more succinctly teaching at Rowan University in assisting in the studio, there were also define what is of importance to me: to Glassboro, New Jersey. other responsibilities: gardening, house-

January 1998 57 keeping, driving Toshiko to and personal style as they are teach at Princeton, accompa­ in craftsmanship. nying her on trips to New Along with the aesthetic York City, entertaining guests, and academic basics, Ander­ and attending openings and son and Dresang taught the receptions. practical aspects of promot­ The second level had to ing oneself as an artist and a do with intellectual or intui­ potter. I was encouraged to tive growth and development. begin documenting my work, Foremost in this was being and to begin applying to re­ aware, as much and as often gional and national juried ex­ as possible, of what Toshiko hibitions. In addition, career was doing during all aspects prospects were explored. of the creative process. Virtu­ Through seminar courses and ally every moment held the field trips to the studios of potential for learning, from full-time artists, I discovered forming the shape, to glazing that there were many options and firing, and even packing for me after earning an M.EA., pots for shipping. including residencies, teach­ When the time came to ing (in both traditional and consider additional formal nontraditional settings), and education, it was Toshiko who starting my own studio pot­ recommended graduate study tery. I left Edwardsville aware at Southern Illinois Univer­ of the many possibilities for sity at Edwardsville (SIUE), putting my training to practi­ with Dan Anderson and Paul cal use. Dresang. After graduation in 1993, Graduate school was a I moved to Denver, Colorado, wonderful opportunity to fur­ for a one-year artist-in-resi- ther explore the concept that dence position. The residency fire is the vehicle for clays was a positive transition from transformation, the magical graduate school in that I had element that allows us to cre­ the opportunity to teach be­ ate objects of beauty and func­ ginning through advanced ce­ tion. SIUE offered a full range ramics, with the added bonus of firing methods, of which I of having my studio space, took full advantage; I was able firings and glaze chemicals to experiment extensively with provided. I then worked at salt firing, residual salt firing, Wheel-thrown and faceted porcelain pitcher, 18 inches in the Castle Clay Artist Coop­ and reduction firing. I also height, wood fired, $110. erative studio, before accept­ assisted in the construction ing a university teaching and firing of a large anagama position in New Jersey. kiln on Dan Anderson’s property. In Currently, I am focusing on creating addition, Anderson and Dresang intro­ bodies of work that reflect something duced me to the concept of sandblast­ about me as the maker, as well as the ing as a post-firing technique. processes used. To that end, I have made Another area of real growth during a deliberate choice to spend my time my time at SIUE was in the develop­ and energy producing work that I feel is ment of a body of work that made use more personal in nature, and of com­ of the alteration of the wheel-thrown, petitive quality (for applying to national round form into a squared shape. I was exhibitions), rather than producing lots searching for a way to reflect the pro­ of anonymous work to market at art cesses used in transforming intuitive fairs and tourist galleries. concept into physical reality. It became One series is based on old-fashioned my goal as a potter to create objects that “Iron Teapot,” 11 inches in height, flatirons. For me, the iron is a symbol of are as strong in their individual design porcelain with Bronze Glaze, $300. a daily chore or ritual; as I fabricate each

58 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Iron Teapot,” 12 inches high, stoneware, with Green Ash Glaze, Wilson’s Purple Aqua Patina and Slip Variation #1, $300.

teapot, I find myself thinking about it to be made out of metal, and at first as a metaphor or symbol of my daily encounter one expects a great deal of activity in the studio. physical weight, yet in reality, it is fired These pieces are also vehicles for still porcelain and comparatively light. more experimentation with firing tech­ The copper patina is developed by niques. While I continue to produce covering the surface with green ash glaze, functional stoneware in wood-burning which has been evenly applied in a thin kilns, I am now also multiple-firing coat and fired to Cone 5 in a gas kiln. I decorative porcelain work, first to Cone then reglaze the piece while it is still 5, then to Cone 06. warm from the Cone 5 firing (or after Early Chinese bronze vessels provide warming it in the sun), with Lana inspiration for surface treatments. It is Wilsons Purple Aqua Patina. This glaze intriguing to me that one can take ce­ is also applied evenly by spraying sev­ ramic materials and formulate glazes to eral light layers. Varying the thickness resemble a copper green patina or a from one area to another can yield a metallic bronze surface. There is a won­ very different effect, which can also be derful paradox inherent in the fabrica­ Covered jar with base, 16 inches attractive. (Note that the pastel-like qual­ tion of an “iron teapot” made out of in height, porcelain, ity of the fired purple aqua glaze and its clay. In fact, the finished piece appears with Bronze Glaze, $110. variations are relatively vulnerable to be-

January 1998 59 Wood-fired porcelain ewer, 5 inches high, $42, by Skeff Thomas, Pittman, New Jersey.

ing scratched or marred; both the pot­ possible to keep adding the same or ongoing part of my studio routine— ter and the buyer will want to be very different glazes, and refiring until the though I know that temptations abound careful to avoid rough handling.) The desired color and texture are achieved. to take an easier route. I have already piece is then fired to Cone 07-05. The bronze metallic glaze I use is a had to fight the tendency to be compla­ The next step is to dip the pot into a Cone 10 recipe, underfired to Cone 5 cent by merely reproducing the forms thick slip of 50% Gerstley borate and in a gas kiln. I have found that a me­ and surfaces that have been judged to 50% magnesium carbonate. Once again, dium- to heavy-reduction atmosphere be “successful” through sales or awards. the piece is fired to Cone 06. If the will dull the surface of the glaze, so I While many years and thousands of resulting surface is not what I prefer, I keep the kiln in the lightest reduction miles have passed since the day I fell in will apply more of the purple aqua pa­ possible. The bronze glaze will run love with clay, its surprising to me how tina, refire, look, decide, then some­ significantly at higher temperatures or little has changed. Working with clay times apply more slip and fire it again. if the application is thick, so some cau­ remains my ambition, my desire, my While a couple applications of the glaze tion is recommended in its use. passion. I plan to keep an iron in the and slip usually are enough to give me As I look ahead, I expect that I will fire, and to keep that fire burning the results I’m looking for, it would be continue to make experimentation an brightly for many years to come. ▲ Recipes

Green Ash Glaze Slip Variation #1 Do not use either the purple aqua (Cone 10, reduction) Magnesium Carbonate...... 50% patina or the following Bronze Glaze Barium Carbonate...... 20.59% Gerstley Borate...... 50 on surfaces that could come into con­ Whiting...... 8.83 100 % tact with food or beverages. Wood Ash (Apple)...... 9.80 Wilsons Purple Aqua Patina Bronze Glaze Soda Feldspar...... 50.98 (Cone 06) (Cone 5-10) Ball Clay ...... 9.80 100.00% Barium Carbonate...... 45parts Ball Clay ...... 7 % Nepheline Syenite...... 45 Cedar Heights Redart...... 86 Add: Zinc Oxide...... 5.39% Frit 3289 (Ferro)...... 4 Flint...... 7 Copper Carbonate .... 3.82% Copper Carbonate...... 4-8 100 % Rutile...... 3.82% Bentonite...... 2 Add: Cobalt Carbonate...... 14% 100-104 parts Copper Carbonate...... 14% Manganese Dioxide ...... 64 %

60 CERAMICS MONTHLY Neil Tetkowski in his New York City studio, where installing a combustion kiln in compliance with strict regulations proved to be costly and time consuming. Lessons from a City Kiln by Marc Leuthold with Sarah G. Wilkins

W I came to New York about five time job to date. One of the best was to really value the input—hardly the years ago, I knew life would be hard for working as an assistant for ceramics arrogant prima donna I had dreaded. a ceramics artist in The City. Just get­ sculptor Neil Tetkowski. In planning to install a gas kiln, Neil ting work done while eking out a living Neil and I both taught ceramics knew it would be a challenge to comply there is a daily challenge—not to men­ classes at Parsons School of Design, but with the city’s complicated and strict tion the limited studio space and avail­ I had had little contact with him before combustion regulations. New York re­ ability of kilns. I resigned myself to calling about the job. I identified myself quires that all combustion equipment multiple part-time jobs while making as “a part-time teacher at Parsons.” As I be certified for use within the five bor­ sculpture in my spare time, and resolved expected, Neil didn’t want to hire a “col­ oughs. Commercial producers of boil­ to apply to residency programs else­ league,” and I had a hard time persuad­ ers, stoves and water heaters go through where in the country for more produc­ ing him to give me a chance. Then, an expensive procedure to have their tive and intensive work phases. I also when he finally agreed, I actually equipment certified. Afterward, iden­ learned how to stretch a penny. dreaded the first day of work. I’d heard tical equipment can be sold without Though I shudder to think of it now, horror stories about how some artists question. However, for one-of-a-kind I actually worked as a “penny stretcher” treat their assistants, and I steeled my­ industrial equipment, such as a kiln, for $6 an hour on the 86th floor obser­ self for the worst. certification can cost upwards of $6000 vatory of the Empire State Building. Neil had just moved into a new for independent laboratory testing. For a dollar, I would take a tourists workspace, a block away from his apart­ Regulations dictate that one must penny, drop it into a machine and, by ment in Chelsea. The studio is spa­ hire an engineer to assure that plans are hand-cranking vigorously, squeeze the cious—1800 square feet with windows filed and codes are properly carried out. soft copper into an oval stamped with on opposite sides. It is on the second The engineer Neil hired determined that the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State floor, with parking on the ground level. the floor of the 100-year-old building Building, the New York skyline or the I could only dream of such a wonderful would not collapse when the 6800- generic “Good Luck Penny.” It was pos­ setup for a ceramist in New York City. I pound kiln was delivered to the second sible to turn about $ 100 into stretched was envious. floor. The engineer’s fee was $2500, and pennies per day. Or 1000 pennies into Neil immediately set me to work the filing fees an additional $300. dollars, depending on your perspective. painting shelves in the studio. Then to­ A certain kind of chimney was That’s a lot of cranking. gether we arranged the equipment. He specified as well. It was required to ex­ That was absolutely my worst part­ often asked for suggestions and seemed tend beyond the roof line of the top

January 1998 61 boosters could be added later—for thou­ sands of dollars more, of course. Delivery of the new equipment had to be thought out very carefully. Al­ though the width of the kiln was deter­ mined by the width of the freight elevator door, the actual weight was just too heavy for the old elevator. Profes­ sional riggers were hired for $3000 to deliver the kiln to a specific location on the second floor. It proved to be a days work for four expert movers. Two I-beams were sus­ pended from the third floor inside the elevator shaft. The kiln hung from them in a sling of massive chains, then hand- powered winches moved the kiln up­ ward at a snails pace—1 centimeter for each pull. Once in place, the kiln was made fully functional, and has worked well ever since. It took us a whole year to complete the renovation of the studio, which in­ c ludes a large workspace near the kiln site, a spray room for the application of terra sigillata, and a clean room for office work and visitors. With assistance from Boyd Johnson and myself, Neil removed Because the weight of the kiln was too much for the old freight elevator, dropped ceilings, plywood paneling and professional riggers suspended it from two I-beams and hoisted it up by hand crumbling linoleum—peeling away lay­ ers of ugliness to reveal the buildings structural elements. During all these story. Fortunately, the building is small Herculean labors and the endless details by New York standards and only goes of kiln installation, Neils eternal opti­ up four floors. mism and focus on “the big picture” For the combustion system, a $600 never failed to impress me. He kept filing fee was submitted to the Depart­ telling me, “Now that I have the kiln, ment of Buildings, Materials and Equip­ things are going to happen...just wait.” ment Acceptance Division. In order to Two weeks later, Neil called to say avoid testing fees, the kiln manufac­ that he was going to have a solo show at turer went to great lengths to help us, the Myung Sook Gallery on Broadway assembling laboratory reports for each in SoHo. The show was a turning point component of the burner system to for him. He had set out to become a prove safety claims. Combinations of working and exhibiting New York art­ components are used in the design of ist, and managed to do so about a year burner systems, from gas valves to com­ and a half after moving to the city. puter controls, and since the manufac­ Neils show was also a turning point turer purchases parts for burner systems for me. While he was setting up his from several other manufacturers, the exhibition at Myung Sook, I left to pre­ compilation was a complex task. pare for a residency at the Kohler Com­ Once the plans were approved by pany in Wisconsin. During my time the city for a total of $4900, a licensed with Neil, I had learned how an artist Hoisting the kiln—1 centimeter per pull. plumber was hired to install a 2-inch must have complete faith in the prac­ gas line from the street to the kiln, ap­ tice of art and in his own creativity, and proximately 180 feet away. Because must be flexible when facing obstacles, Manhattan has very low gas pressure, calmly nurturing his vision into reality. no one could guarantee that the lain One must be prepared to reason with would reach temperature. Anxiety was an irate contractor on the same day that somewhat alleviated by the news that one sells three large pieces. ▲

62 CERAMICS MONTHLY End of an Era Chan ges in Spanish Folk Pottery by Fran^oise Melville

Slip-decorated pottery by Rafael Granados and his wife Rosa Garcia, Nijar, Spain.

Last summer, I revisited the Andalusian fairly high iron oxide content and good dipped in a raw lead glaze of the most village of Nijar, after eight years of ab­ resistance to thermal shock. toxic type—galena. sence. I used to live in this community After a preliminary drying out in the Once a month, the huge wood-burn- where potting was the main “industry”; hot sun, the recently thrown greenware ing kilns were stacked with hundreds of for 15 years, I shared much of the local was decorated by their wives and daugh­ pieces, then fired for long hours in an way of life. I often watched the potters at ters. Each piece was dipped in a creamy atmosphere that varied from neutral to their work. It was a tradition handed blend of kaolin and water before being light reduction. No pyrometers were down from father to son and mother to slip decorated with a mixture of kaolin used, but a temperature of about 1000°C daughter, dating back to the Arab occu­ and iron, cobalt, copper or manganese. (1832°F) was usually reached. The ware pation of the region. More frequently, the slip was brushed on was stacked tightly, forming carefully bal­ From the age of ten when they were in haphazard patterns, but some of the anced stacks of plates, bowls, pitchers first apprenticed, the men spent all day more skilled women would trail com­ and ashtrays, separated by earthenware at the wheel. The clay was locally dug— plex designs from a simple tin can with a tripods. These simple tripods would be a mixture of two different deposits. The hole punched in the bottom. When the removed from the fired ware with the end result was a tan-colored body with a design was complete, the piece was sharp tap of a hammer, leaving a distinc­

January 1998 63 tive scar on all but the top piece of a 1974, there were about half a dozen pot­ Baldomero at the wheel and take Polaroid stack. The result was a very primitive, ting families, several of whose members pictures of his hands as he pulled the somewhat heavy kind of pottery, with were interrelated. They all had their work­clay, shaping it into bowls or mugs. warm colors ranging from iron yellow to shops in the same narrow street and some Returning to Rafael and Rosa’s pot­ reddish brown, copper green and man­ had adjoining showroom-stores. Potting tery, “El Oficio,” I spotted Rosa right ganese eggplant purple on a background was a way of life in the village, and had away. There she was as always before, of mellow kaolin white. The raised slip- changed very little over the centuries. sitting on a low-backed chair with a raw- trailed designs were particularly attrac­ So when I returned to Nijar for a glazed bowl on her lap, trailing cobalt tive and were done in two colors: cobalt short visit last June, I expected to find slip decoration. The first thing I noticed blue and manganese. the potteries unchanged. Of course, the was that she was using a rubber bulb Although considered toxic by todays potters would be older, sons would have instead of the old tin-can-with-a-hole standards, this pottery was used for cen­ taken over the wheel from their fathers, trailer. Rosa looked up from her work turies by the locals in their kitchens, with­ daughters would be decorating the ware and recognized me, even though she had out any apparent ill effects. They would along with their mothers, but the canar­ not seen me in over eight years. Then she first “cure” the pots by filling them with ies would still be singing in their cages told me what had happened to the pot­ a solution of wine vinegar and water, on the wall above the barrels of galena ters of Nijar. then baldng in a domestic oven for an glaze, and the kilns would belch their With Spain’s entry into the European hour or two. According to the villagers, monthly columns of smoke into the clear Common Market as a full member, the this would eliminate the lead danger, blue sky overhead. first thing to go was the raw galena glaze. making the ware food safe. I had met Rafael Granados and his This was replaced by an industrial glaze The potters themselves were vaguely wife Rosa Garcia in the early 1970s. Their containing fritted lead, which is accept­ aware of the danger from their frequent workshop was the second from the last able for food use in Europe. “Look,” said exposure to lead, and would keep both in Las Eras, a narrow street where in Rosa, waving her hand toward the fired cats and canaries in their workshops, be­ many places two cars were unable to pass ware surrounding her on the cement lieving that these would be the first to one another. The last workshop belonged floor. “We use the same oxides; the col­ succumb in the event of an overdose of to Rosas brother Baldomero and his wife ors are the same.” lead dust in the atmosphere. Francisca. When I decided that I wanted But were they? To me, they seemed a When I first went to live in Nijar in to become a potter, I used to watch little too bright and clean, and the white

Using a motorized kick wheel, Nijar potter Rafael Granados still throws flowerpots from local clay, but they will be coated with a commercial fritted-lead glaze, then fired in a gas kiln.

64 CERAMICS MONTHLY kaolin background was a cold pots, skillfully balancing long white, lacking the warmth of wooden boards on his shoul­ the older pots. der to place them on the dry­ “We don’t use the old kiln ing cart, which stood outside anymore,” said Rosa, as in the midday sun. though reading my thoughts. When Rafael and Rosa re­ “We have a gas kiln now. I’ll tire, Rafael Jr. will take over show you.” the family business. Will he, Rosa put down the bowl like his cousin Baldomero, she was working on and led turn to mechanical aids and the way to the gas kiln. What modern methods of mass pro- can I say about it? It was large; duction? And Gongora, it was encased in shiny new whom I did not have time to metal. It had modern controls. visit, will he be the last potter Right next to it, like a mu­ in Nijar to fire his wood- seum piece, stood the entrance fueled lain? What of the tour­ to the old kiln. The bricks ists who visit the village to had been whitewashed. I re­ buy pots in the many craft ally don’t know why. stores, which have spread from Rosa returned to her little Las Eras to the wide new main work chair, as I went over to street with its modern build­ the wheel where Rafael was ings? These people don’t know throwing flowerpots from the the difference. They think mound of local clay. He still they are buying a piece of liv­ used the same type of motor­ ing history. ized kick wheel that I had All the pots are better known before. I also knew the finished now, even those made good, red throwing clay from by Rafael and Gongora. Rafael Gerona in northeast Spain. I now has a grinding wheel to had used it myself when liv­ smooth the feet, removing ing in Nijar. It was fairly drips of glaze and kaolin slip. smooth and lacked the impu­ The old tripod stilts are no rities of the local clay, which longer used, so there are no was prone to lime blowouts. Rosa Garcia now uses a rubber bulb with a nozzle (rather pots with the three telltale Of course, this defect could than a tin can with a hole) as a slip trailer. scars on their glossy surfaces. be remedied by more thor­ And some of Baldomero’s in­ ough screening. cised geometrical designs are “But it’s not just the glaze that has taken over the place and expanded the most attractive, and a real improvement changed,” continued Rafael. “No one business, opening up new premises some on the very simple traditional patterns. even does much throwing now. They use distance from the village of Nijar. The new commercial glaze is certainly molds—plaster molds and a mechanical “How about the other potters?” I less toxic to potential users than the old arm on the wheel—which do the throw­ asked. “Do any of them still work in the galena one. The fact that it crazes horri­ ing and make every piece exactly the traditional way?” bly does not seem to worry anyone. They same.” “Yes,” said Rafael. “Of course, they allknow nothing about glaze chemistry and I realized that he was referring to a use the fritted glaze now, and we all have do not realize that a good fit could prob­ jolleying attachment. “Who started that?” gas kilns, but Gongora still uses his wheelably be obtained with small adjustments I asked. and he still fires his old kiln.” to the new glaze. None of them has any “My nephew, Baldomero,” interjected “Will you go over to using molds, experience in glaze development. They Rosa, who had abandoned her chair. “YouRafael? Rosa, will you give up slip trail­ were told that their old glaze was danger­ should see him now. He employs 20 ing for the new designs?” ous, and were provided with sacks of an people and has a real factory. They deco­ They both laughed. “At our age? No, anonymous white powder to replace it. rate the pots with new geometrical and we are too stuck in our ways. We’ll just All they know is that it, too, contains floral designs. They export stuff all over go on as we are, doing what our parents lead, but that the lead has been fritted to Europe.” taught us until we can work no longer.” lessen toxicity. They no longer keep ca­ I remembered Baldomero well. I used As they spoke, I watched their son naries as “witnesses.” to give him French lessons. After finish­ Rafael, who was 34 years old, the same As I said good-bye to Rafael and Rosa, ing school, he had joined his parents, age as my eldest son; in fact, they had I took one last look at the empty bird­ Baldomero and Francisca, working at the attended the local school together. He cage hanging on the wall. For me, it wheel until they retired. Then he had was carrying the freshly thrown flower­ marked the end of an era.A

January 1998 65 Canadian artists living in Canada. Juried from 3 June 1 entry deadline Call for Entries slides, description of the work and how it relates Mashiko, Japan “The 2nd Mashiko Ceramics to the exhibition theme, plus curriculum vitae. Competition ’98” (October 4-November 29). Application Deadline for Exhibitions, Fee: Can$25. Awards: prix de la ville de Trois- Juried from actual works. Jurors: master potters Fairs, Festivals and Sales Rivieres, Can$2000; prix Pierre-Legault, Tatsuzo Shimaoka, Shinsaku Hamada, Hideyuki Can$2000; and prix du public, Can$1000. Con­ Hayashi, Ryusaku Miwa; plus art critics Hiroshi tact Biennale Nationale de Ceramique, 864, rue Aoki, Mitsuhiko Hasebe, Kenji Kaneko and des Ursulines, c. p. 1596, Trois-Rivieres G9A Hiroshi Mizuo. No entry fee. Awards: Shoji International Exhibitions 5L9; telephone (819) 691-0829, fax (819) 374- Hamada Award and Shoji Kamoda Award, each, 1758 or e-mail [email protected] 1,000,000 yen (approximately US$7800), plus February 7 entry deadline March 20 entry deadline judges’ special awards, 100,000 yen (approxi­ San Angelo, Texas “Twelfth San Angelo Na­ World Wide Web “Silverhawk Fine Crafts mately US$780). For further information, con­ tional Ceramic Competition” (April 16-May 31), Internet Exhibition” (Spring) .Juried from 3 slides. tact the Secretariat, Mashiko International Pot­ open to artists residing in the United States, Fee: $ 15. Send #10 SASEto Silverhawk, PO Drawer tery Contest Executive Committee, 2030 O-aza Canada and Mexico. Juried from up to 2 slides per LLL, Taos, NM 87571. Mashiko, Mashiko-Machi, Haga-Gun, Tochigi- work. Juror: Ronald Kuchta, editor, American March 31 entry deadline Ken 321-42; or fax (81) 285-72-6430. Ceramics magazine. Fee: $15 for up to 3 entries. Mino, Japan “The 5th International Ceramics September 30 entry deadline Awards: $4750. For prospectus, contact San Competition ’98 Mino, Japan” (October 23- Columbus, Ohio “Ceramics Monthly Interna­ Angelo Museum of Fine Arts, PO Box 3092, San November 3), in two categories: ceramics design tional Competition” (March 15-21, 1999), open Angelo 76902; or telephone (915) 658-4084. and ceramic art. Juried from photos of up to 3 to utilitarian and sculptural ceramics. Location: February 20 entry deadline entries per category. Jurors, ceramics design: Columbus Convention Center, in conjunction Baldwin City, Kansas"The 1998 International Yusuke Aida, Alan Chan, Kazuo Kimura, with the National Council on Education for the Orton Cone Box Show” (March 10-April 7), Katherine McCoy, Timo Sarpaneve, Ettore Ceramic Arts (NCECA) 1999 conference. No en­ open to works composed of more than 50% fired Sottsass and Ikko Tanaka. Jurors, ceramic arts: try fee. Juried from slides. Cash awards. Color clay that fit into a large Orton cone box (3x3x6 Federico Bonaldi, Claudi Casanovas, Masako catalog. For prospectus, write CM International inches). Juried from actual works. Jurors: Harris Hayashi, Jun Kaneko, Kenji Kaneko, Takuo Kato Competition, PO Box 6102, Westerville, OH Deller, professor, Southern Illinois University, and Janet Mansfield. Awards (per category): Grand 43086-6102; fax (614) 891-8960; or download Carbondale; Anna C. Holcomb, professor, Kan­ Prize, 3 million yen (approximately US$25,000), online from www.ceramicsmonthly.org sas State University, Manhattan; and Michael plus a domestic or foreign study trip; gold award, Simon, studio potter, Winterville, Georgia. Fee: 1 million yen (approximately US$8200); two United States Exhibitions $20 per entry; up to 2 entries. Purchase awards of silver awards, 500,000 yen (approximately $ 100 each. For prospectus, contact Inge G. Balch, US$4100); 5 bronze, 300,000 yen (approximately January 5 entry deadline Dept, of Art/Ceramics, Baker University, PO Box US$2460); and 7 special judges’ awards, 200,000 Tampa, Florida “9th Annual Black and White, 65, Baldwin City 66006-0065. yen (approximately US$1640). Contact Interna­ Shades of Gray” (February 6-March 28), open to February 21 entry deadline tional Ceramics Festival ’98 Mino, Japan, Execu­ works in black, white and/or gray; no color. Juried Trois-Rivieres, Quebec, Canada “8th Biennale tive Committee Office, 2-15 Hinode-machi, from 3 slides. Fee: $25; members, $ 18. For further Nationale de Ceramique” (June 20-September Tajimi City, Gifu Prefecture 507; telephone (81) information, contact Artists Unlimited, Inc., 223 13), open to large-scale sculpture or installation 572-22-1111, fax (81) 572-25-3400, or e-mail N. 12th St., Tampa 33602; or telephone (813) work (relating to the theme “Espace Terre”) by [email protected] 229-5958. Continued

66 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 67 up to 3 entries. Juror: Clayton Bailey. Awards: Call for Entries over $9000 in place, merit and purchase. For prospectus, send legal-size SASEto Lincoln Arts, PO Box 1166, Lincoln 95648. January 9 entry deadline March 25 entry deadline Wichita, Kansas “Art Show at the Dog Show” Greensburg and Youngwood, Pennsylvania (March 1-April 2 and April 3-5), open to works “Westmoreland Art Nationals” (May 31-June 14 depicting dogs. Juried from slides. Jurors: Joy and July 2-5). Juried from slides. Awards: $23,000 Kroeger Beckner, best-of-show winner at last year’s in purchase prizes; best of each show, $700; best exhibition; Barbara Jedda, manager/curator, the of both shows, $1000. Send legal-size SASEwith American Kennel Club Museum of the Dog, 55<£ postage to Westmoreland Art Nationals, RD Saint Louis; and David Murano, director, Wichita 2 Box355A, Latrobe, PA 15650; or telephone (412) Center for the Arts. Awards: over $8000. Contact 834-7474. Pat Deshler, 4300 N. Edgemoor, Wichita 67220; April 17 entry deadline or telephone (316) 744-0057, fax (316) 744- Laramie, Wyoming “Second Annual Wyoming 0293, e-mail [email protected] Pottery Show” (May 1-30). Exhibition theme is January 15 entry deadline teapots and pitchers. Juried from actual works; up Smithville, Tennessee “Still Alluring” (January to 4 entries. Cash awards. For prospectus, send 19—February 21), open to handmade lures con­ SASEto Artisans Gallery, 213 S. Second St., Lara­ taining a hook or some kind of capturing device. mie 82070. Juried from actual works; entries become part of center’s permanent collection. Cash awards. For further information, contact Still Alluring, Appa­ Regional Exhibitions lachian Center for Crafts, 1560 Craft Center Dr., January 5 entry deadline Smithville 37166. Fort Worth, Texas “Texas Clay Exhibition” January 17 entry deadline (March 16—28), open to current and former Texas Chicago, Illinois, and Oconomowoc, Wisconsin residents. Juried from slides. Juror: Elmer Taylor. “Teapots, Fun, Funky and Functional” (February Fee: $25 for up to 3 entries completed in the last 22-May 11). Juried from slides. For prospectus, 2 years. Cash and merchandise awards. Sponsored send business-size SASEto A. Houberbocken, Inc., by the Texas Pottery and Sculpture Guild. For PO Box 196, Cudahy, WI 53110. entry form/further information, send SASEto January 20 entry deadline TPSG, PO Box 16436, Ft. Worth 76162. Galesburg, Illinois “GALEX 32” (March 14- January 14 entry deadline April 11). Juried from up to 4 slides for up to 4 El Paso, Texas “From the Ground Up XVII” entries. Fee: $20; members, $15. Juror: Preston (March 6-April 5), open to clay artists residing in Jackson, sculptor, Peoria, Illinois. Contact Arizona, New Mexico, Texas or northern Mexico. Galesburg Civic Art Center, 114 E. Main St., Juried from slides. Fee: $15 for up to 3 entries. Galesburg 61401; or telephone (309) 342-7415. Juror: Jeanne Otis. For prospectus, send SASEto Denton, Texas “Ceramics USA 1998” (March Potters’ Guild of Las Cruces, do 4741 Lucy Dr., 1—29). Juried from slides. Juror: David Shaner. El Paso 79924-1013; or, for further information, Fee: $20 for up to 3 entries. Awards. For prospec­ telephone (915) 821-5115 or (915) 532-6477. tus, send #10 SASEto Ceramics USA 1998, do University of North Texas Gallery, School of Fairs, Festivals and Sales Visual Arts, PO Box 5098, Denton 76203-0098; or telephone D. Rhudy (903) 784-2354 or D. January 9 entry deadline Gray (803) 661-1535. Atlanta, Georgia “Sugarloaf Crafts Festival” January 23 entry deadline (November 27-29). Juried from 5 slides, includ­ New Haven, Connecticut “Visual Poetry— ing 1 of booth. Booth fee: $425. No commission. Word as Image” (April 13-May 22), open to For application, send 3 loose first-class stamps works in all media. Juried from slides. Juror: (96

68 CERAMICS MONTHLY

Manassas, Virginia “Sugarloaf Crafts Festi­ $10. Booth fee: $60 for an 8x10-foot space. Call for Entries val” (September 11—13). Juried from 5 slides, Awards. Contact Festival of the Arts, PO Box 872, including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $395-$465. Stevens Point 54481-0872. No commission. For application, send 3 loose January 31 entry deadline Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Dr., #215, Gaithersburg, first-class stamps (96tf) for postage to Sugarloaf Frederick, Maryland* Frederick Festival of the MD 20878; telephone (800) 210-9900. Mountain Works, Inc., 200 Orchard Ridge Arts” (June 6-7). Juried from 5 slides. Entry fee: Columbus, Ohio “37th Annual Columbus Arts Dr., #215, Gaithersburg, MD 20878; telephone $20. Cash awards. Contact Frederick Festival of Festival” (June 4-7). Juried from slides. For appli­ (800) 210-9900. the Arts, PO Box 3080, Frederick 21705; or cation, contact Columbus Arts Festival, 55 E. January 21 entry deadline telephone (301) 694-9632. State St., Columbus 43215; telephone (614) 224- Jacksonville, Florida “ArtWorks” (May 15-17). Allentown, Pennsylvania “Mayfair Festival of 2606 or e-mail [email protected] Juried from slides. Awards: $25,100 in prizes plus the Arts 1998” (May 21-25). Juried from 4 slides. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania “Sugarloaf Crafts $ 12,000 in purchase awards. For prospectus, contact Entry fee: $10. Booth fee: $200 for 5 days; $175 Festival” (October 30-November 1). Juried from 5 ArtWorks, PO Box 41564, Jacksonville 32203; or for 3 days; for a 10x10-foot space. Cash awards. slides, including 1 of booth. Booth fee: $425. No telephone (904) 308-7007, fax (904) 308-7996. Contact Mayfair Festival of the Arts, Dept. AM, commission. For application, send 3 loose first-class January 23 entry deadline 2020 Hamilton St., Allentown 18104; telephone stamps (96

70 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 71 Call for Entries

phone Mike Otto, Mayfair Coordinator, (616) 781-0304. March 9 entry deadline London, England “19th Chelsea Crafts Fair” (October 13-25). Juried from 4 slides. For appli­ cation, contact the Sales Development Unit, Crafts Council, 44a Pentonville Rd., London N1 9BY. March 11 entry deadline Madison, Wisconsin “Art Fair on the Square” (July 11-12). Juried from slides. Entry fee: $25. Booth fee: $275. No commission. Contact the Madison Art Center, 211 State St., Madison 53703; or telephone (608) 257-0158. March 15 entry deadline Pontiac, Michigan “Art Pontiac” (June 13- 14). Juried from 4 slides of work plus 1 of display (with SASE).Entry fee: $25. Booth fee: $230 for a 10x15-foot space, $260 for a 10x20. No commis­ sion. Contact Art Pontiac, PO Box 430022, Pontiac 48343; telephone (313) 783-3830 or fax (313) 783-3852. March 31 entry deadline Clinton, Iowa “Art in the Park” (June 20-21). Juried from 4 slides of work plus 1 of display. Entry fee: $5. Booth fee: $75 for a 12xl2-foot space. No commission. Cash awards. Send SASEto Art in the Park, Box 2164, Clinton 52733; or telephone Carol Glahn (319) 259-8308. Portland, Oregon “Art in the Pearl” (Septem­ ber 5-7). Juried from slides. Contact Art in the Pearl, PO Box 18053, Portland 97218; or tele­ phone (503) 722-9017. April 1 entry deadline Sheboygan, Wisconsin “28th Annual Outdoor Arts Festival” (July 18-19). Juried from 5 slides. Entry fee: $17. Booth fee: $80 for a 10x10-foot space. Contact John Michael Kohler Arts Center, PO Box 489, Sheboygan 53082-0489; or tele­ phone (920) 458-6144. April 6 entry deadline Chautauqua, New York “Chautauqua Crafts Alliance” (July 10-12 and/or August 7-9). Juried from 3 slides of work plus 1 of booth. Entry fee: $10 per show. Booth fee: $175 per show. For prospectus, send business-size SASEto Devon Tay- lor, Festivals Director, Chautauqua Crafts Alli­ ance, PO Box 89, Mayville, NY 14757-0089. April 7 entry deadline Boston, Massachusetts “Crafts at the Castle” (December 2-6). Juried from 5 slides. Entry fee: $25. Booth fee: $550-$850 for an 8x10- or 10x10-foot space. For application, send name and address to Gretchen Keyworth, Crafts at the Castle, Family Service of Greater Boston, 34½ Beacon St., Boston 02108; or fax (617) 523-3034. April 15 entry deadline Evergreen, Colorado “32nd Annual Evergreen Arts Festival” (August 22-23). Juried from 4 slides of work plus 1 of display. For application, contact Evergreen Artists’ Association, Danna Cuin, PO Box 1511, Evergreen 80437; or tele­ phone Danna Cuin (303) 674-5521.

For a free listing, please submit informa­ tion on juried exhibitions, fairs, festivals and sales at least four months before the event’s entry deadline (add one month for listings in July and two months for those in August). Regional exhibitions must be open to more than one state. Mail to Call for Entries, Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102, e-mail to [email protected] or fax to (614) 891-8960.

72 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 73 Suggestions From Readers

Grocery Bag Sling To get a better view of the entire form, I like to trim the lid of a casserole with the lid resting on the flange, but in the past, I often deformed the knob or lip when trying to remove the trimmed lid. Now, for a lid sling, I use a plastic grocery bag that has been flattened by splitting the sides. Just lay the bag over the casserole so that the handles drape down the side, then position the lid on the flange for trimming. When trimming is com­ plete, the lid can be easily lifted and removed using the plastic bag handles.—Patti Pulling, McCammon, Idaho

Majolica Design Strokes When applying majolica decoration, rather than drawing the design on the glaze with a soft lead pencil, try using thinned coffee or tea applied with a brush. Because coffee or tea burns off in the firing, it will allow you to practice brushstrokes with no risk. When satisfied with the design, simply trace over it with colorants .—-John Britt, Dallas

Footed Bowls Without a Wheel If you like the look of trimmed footed bowls, but don’t have a potter’s wheel, you can achieve the same effect with a hump mold and a banding wheel. First, make a hump mold by pouring plaster inside a plastic bowl (use silicone spray as a releasing agent); re­ move as soon as the plaster has set and allow to dry completely. When the mold is ready to use, center it on a heavy-duty banding wheel, lay a slab on top, then slowly rotate the wheel and press down carefully from the center to the edge. Trim excess clay from the rim and incise concentric circles to determine foot placement. Roll out and attach a soft coil to the ring marked by the concentric circles. Smooth the inner and outer wall of the coil while turning the band­ ing wheel, then level by removing excess clay with a needle tool. Allow to dry until foot is firm, then release the bowl from the mold and wrap to dry slowly.— GiselaKatiAndara, Miami

Share your ideas with others. Ceramics Monthly will pay $10 for each one published. Suggestions are welcome individually or in quantity. Include a drawing or photograph to illustrate your idea and we will add $10 to the payment. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102, e-mail to [email protected] or fax to (614) 891-8960.

74 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 75 890-4700, e-mail [email protected] or see website Calendar www.acers.org Texas, Fort Worth March 25-28 “NCECA ’98— Events to Attend—Conferences, 32nd Annual Conference: Heroes, Icons, His­ Exhibitions, Workshops, Fairs tory, Memory” will include keynote speech, “In Praise of Heroes at Work in the Clay,” by folklor- ist/author Henry Glassie; and closing lecture, “The Concrete Culture and the Electronic Cul­ ture,” by painterA/Veu;sM'ee£art critic Peter Plagens. Conferences Also includes demonstrations, slide presentations, panel discussions and exhibitions. Contact Regina Alabama, Brewton February 25—28 “Homecom­ Brown, Executive Secretary, NCECA, PO Box ing 98—A Clay Down South,” featuring ceramics 1677, Bandon, OR; telephone (800) 99-NCECA. artists Jerry Brown, Dee and Steve Burrow, Canada, Ontario, Toronto February26—28 “Col­ Fred Catalluchi, Bill Clover, Ken Ferguson, lege Art Association 86th Annual Conference.” Allen Ham, Steve Haworth, Peter King, Contact the College Art Associaton, 275 Seventh Catherine and Ted Metz, Eric and Steve Miller, Ave., New York, NY 10001. Rob Reedy and Richard Zakin; plus the exhibi­ tion “Gulf Coast Potters, 100 Years of Ameri­ Solo Exhibitions can Art Pottery.” For further information, con­ tact Larry Manning (334) 809-1617 (days) or Arizona, Tempe February 20-April 19 Richard (334) 867-4281 (nights), or telephone Georgine Shaw; at Tempe Arts Center, 54 W. First St. Clarke (334) 242-4076 (days). California, Idyllwild February 6—25 Karen Ko- Arizona, Yuma February 19-21 “Yuma Sympo­ blitz; at the Idyllwild Arts Academy, 52500 sium 19,” will include slide presentations, lec­ Temecula Rd. tures and demonstrations with artists in various California, Rancho Palos Verdes January 10— media, including ceramics artist David L. Brad­ February 28 Peter Shire’s “Living Room Circus,” ley. Contact Neely Tomkins, 90 W. 2nd St., installation of ceramics, sculpture and furniture. Yuma 85364; or telephone (520) 782-1934. January 10-March 1 Len Rubenstein, “The Jour­ California, Davis April 4-5 The “9th Annual ney,” ceramics, sculpture and photography; at the California Conference for the Advancement of Palos Verdes Art Center, 5504 W. Crestridge Rd. Ceramic Art” will include lectures, panel discus­ California, Sacramento February 5—28 Ceramics sions, slide presentations, demonstrations and and paintings by Gary Dinnen; at Solomon tours. Presenters include Clayton Bailey, Stephen Dubnick Gallery, 2131 Northrop Ave. Braun, Sandro Lorenzini, Annabeth Rosen, Esther California, San Diego through January 30 Jeff Shimazu, Irv Tepper and Patti Warashina. For Irwin ceramic sculpture, “Call of the Wild”; at further information, contact John Natsoulas Gal­ Simay Space Gallery, 835 G St. lery, (916) 756-3938. California, San Francisco through January 3 Florida, Hollywood February 20-22 “Florida Shoichi Ida, ceramics and works on paper; at Craftsmen Statewide Conference” will include Braunstein/Quay Gallery, 250 Sutter St. keynote speech, “The Development of a Museum’s California, Santa Barbara through January 4 Craft Collection,” by Bruce Pepich, director, Beatrice Wood, “A Centennial Tribute”; at the Wustum Museum, Racine, Wisconsin. Work­ Santa Barbara Museum of Art, 1130 State St. shops include “Functional Porcelain Pottery” with D.C., Washington through January 4 Michael Sylvie Granatelli, “Figurative Abstraction: Em­ Lucero, sculpture; at the Renwick Gallery, bellishment and Form in Ceramics” with Susan Smithsonian’s National Museum of American Banks, “Tiles and Mosaics” with Carlos Alvez, Art, Pennsylvania Ave. at 17th St., NW. and marketing/business sessions with Charley Florida, DeLand January 16—February 15Vincent Freiberg and Bruce Baker. Also includes exhibi­ Sansone. February 20-March 19 Susan Z. Vey; at tions. Fee: members, $165; full-time students, Stetson University, Duncan Gallery of Art, Sampson $125; nonmembers pay additional fee for mem­ Hall, 421 N. Woodland Blvd., Unit 8252. bership; includes most meals. Registration dead­ Illinois, Chicago February 13-March 14 Marga­ line: January 30. For brochure, send large SASEto ret Ponce Israel, “A Domestic Bestiary,” sculp­ Florida Craftsmen, 501 Central Ave., St. Peters­ ture, paintings and sketches; at Perimeter Gallery, burg, FL 33701; or, for further information, tele­ 210 W. Superior St. phone (813) 821-7391. Michigan, Ferndale through January 17 James North Carolina, Charlotte May 29—30 “Cer- Shrosbree; at Revolution, 23257 Woodward Ave. MATECH ’98” will include sessions on clays, New Jersey, Princeton February 2-27]im Jansma, glazes, kilns and firing, molds and pressing. Con­ wood-fired figurative work; at the Arts Council of tact CerMA, PO Box 2188, Zanesville, OH 43702- Princeton, WPA Gallery, 102 Witherspoon St. 2188; telephone (740) 452-4541, fax (740) 452- New Mexico, Santa Fe through January 10 Brad 2552, e-mail [email protected] or website Miller, sculpture and drawings; at Bellas Artes, http://www.offinger.com/cermatech 653 Canyon Rd. Ohio, Cincinnati May 3—6 The American Ce­ New York, New York through January 4 Richard ramic Society’s “100th Annual Meeting and Ex­ Notkin. February 3—28 Anne Kraus; at Garth position.” For further information, contact The Clark Gallery, 24 W. 57th St. American Ceramic Society, PO Box 6136, through January 77Greg Payee, classical vessels; at Westerville, OH 43086-6136; telephone (614) Nancy Margolis Gallery, 560 Broadway, Ste. 302. North Carolina, Charlotte through January 3 Dan Anderson; at gallery W. D. O., 2000 South For a free listing, submit announcements of Blvd., Ste. 610. conferences, exhibitions, workshops and through February 22 Billy Ray Hussey, “North juried fairs at least two months before the Carolina Visionary Potter”; at the Mint Museum month of opening. Add one month for list­ of Art, 2730 Randolph Rd. ings in July; two months for those in Au­ Ohio, Cleveland through January 77Harris Deller; gust. Mail to Calendar, Ceramics Monthly, at Avante Gallery, 2062 Murray Hill Rd. PO Box 6102, Westerville, OH 43086-6102, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia January 2—25 Cynthia e-mail to [email protected] or Consentino, juried exhibition of figurative sculp­ fax to (614) 890-8960. ture. February 6—March 1 Susan Beiner, juried

76 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 77 “Gesture and Message,” ceramics by Brad Calendar Schwieger and Janis Mars Wunderlich plus 5 artists of their choice: Von Allen, Gina Bobrowski, Patrick Houston, Triesh Voelker and Matthew Wilt; at Baltimore Clayworks, 5706 Smith Ave. show of porcelain vessels. Keaton Wynn, juried Massachusetts, Ipswich January 1—31 “Studio installation; at the Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St. Pottery”; at Ocmulgee Pottery and Gallery, 317 Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh through January 30 High St. Amara Geffen. January 8-February 27 David Michigan, Berrien Springs February 3-March 1 McDonald. February 6-March 27 Donald “Women Who Fire with Wood,” ceramics by Hedman; at Manchester Craftsmen’s Guild, 1815 Linda Christianson, Charity Davis, Jane Herald, Metropolitan St. Catharine Hiersoux, Karen Karnes, Diane Kenney, January 9—February 25 David Gamble, multifired Pam Lau, Peg Malloy, Ginny Marsh, Jan ceramic platters. February 1-March25Mark David McKeachie-Johnston, Linda Sikora and Mary Tomczak, recent works; at the Clay Place, 5416 Wolff; at Andrews University Art Center Gallery. Walnut St. Michigan, Pontiac throughJanuary 77“Six Views,” Texas, Dallas through mid January Gregory ceramics by Susan Beiner, John Gargano, Adelaide Zeorlin; at Anasazi Gallery, 12300 Inwood Rd., Paul, Betsy Rosenmiller, Bonnie Seeman and Ste. 117. Deborah Sigel; at Shaw Guido Gallery, 7 N. Texas, Lancaster January 11-February Marga­ Saginaw St. ret Bohls; at Cedar Valley College Ceramics Gal­ Minnesota, Minneapolis January 16—February lery, 3030 N. Dallas Ave., E Bldg. 21 “Jerome Artists Exhibition,” ceramics by Attila Vermont, Montpelier January 1-30 Ara Cardew; Ray Dabasi, Ruth Martin, Robin Murphy, Marcia at Vermont Clay Studio, 24 Main St. Olson and James Whitney Tuthill; at Northern Virginia, Virginia Beach through January 5 Debra Clay Center, 2424 Franklin Ave., E. Belcher Chako, chairs; at 1812 Arctic Gallery, Missouri, Saint Louis January 16—February 21 1812 Arctic Ave. Ceramic sculpture by Cheryl Laemmle and Washington, Kirkland through January 4 Jeanne Michael Lucero; at R. Duane Reed Gallery, #1 N. Quinn, “NeitherlBoth”; at FosterlWhite Gallery, Taylor at Laclede. 126 Central Way. New York, Alfred through January 22 “Defying Gravity: The Fragmented Facades of Architec­ Group Ceramics Exhibitions tural Terra Cotta”; at the International Museum of Ceramic Art, Alfred University. Arizona, Phoenix through January 11 “Legacy of New York, Brooklyn January 1-30 “Raku”; at Generations,” works by 28 Native American Brooklyn Artisans Gallery, 221A Court St. women potters; at the Heard Museum, 22 E. New York, New York through January 4 “Yixing Monte Vista Rd. Gtvzmics.” January 6—31 “Born of Clay,” figurative California, Claremont January 17—March 22 The ceramics; at Garth Clark Gallery, 24 W. 57th St. “54th Ceramic Annual Exhibition”; at Ruth Chan­ January 8-February 7‘Tncluding Clay: Ron Baron, dler Williamson Gallery, Scripps College, 11th James Esber, Beth Katleman, Carter Kustera and and Columbia sts. Ildiko Repasi.” “Kate Missett Curates Whimsy.” California, Davis through January 4 Exhibition of February 19—March21 “Artists on Their Own”; at ceramic sculpture by Claudia Cohen and Glenn Greenwich House Pottery, 16 Jones St. Takai; at John Natsoulas Gallery, 140 F St. New York, Port Chester through January 3 “Mem­ California, Glendale through January 3 “BRAND bers’ Group Show.” February 6—28 Ceramics by XXVII Juried Ceramics Show”; at Brand Gallery, Frank and Polly Martin; at the Clay Art Center, 1601 W. Mountain St. 40 Beech St. California, Los Angeles through March 30“Hirado North Carolina, Asheville through January 3 ]oe Porcelain of Japan from the Kurtzman Family Bova and Cynthia Bringle, “New Works and Collection”; at the Los Angeles County Museum Collaboration”; at Blue Spiral 1,38 Biltmore Ave. of Art, 5905 Wilshire Blvd. Ohio, Columbus through January 18 “On the California, Santa Monica through January 4 Works Surface: An Exhibition of Painterly Clay”; at by gallery artists; at Frank Lloyd Gallery, 2525 Ohio Craft Museum, 1665 W. Fifth Ave. Michigan Ave., B5B. Pennsylvania, PhiladelphiaJanuary 2-25* Tools,” Colorado, Loveland through January 5 “Contem­ juried exhibition; at the Clay Studio, 139 N. porary American Ceramics,” works by 21 artists; Second St. at Loveland Museum/Gallery, Fifth and Lincoln. Texas, Arlington February 21—March 28 “The D.C., Washington through January 11 “Legacy of National Council on Education for the Ceramic Generations,” works by 28 Native American Arts Regional Juried Student Exhibition”; at the women potters; at the National Museum of Arlington Museum of Art, 201 W. Main St. Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave., NW. Texas, Dallas January 13-April 5 “Clay Tradi­ Illinois, Champaign February 19-March 20 “The tions: Texas Educators and Their Teachers,” works Interpreted Object,” exhibition of works by 21 by 14 ceramics educators and their mentors; at ceramists; at Parkland College Art Gallery, 2400 Dallas Museum of Art, 1717 N. Harwood. W. Bradley Ave. Texas, Fort Worth through March 1 “Qing Porce­ Illinois, Chicago February 1—March 1 Exhibition lain from the Percival David Foundation of Chi­ of ceramic sculpture by Valerie Bunnell, Brad nese Art”; at Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Erdy and Karen Schindler; at Gallery 1021: Lill Bowie Blvd. Street, 1021 W. Lill. Texas, Tyler February 14-March 13 “Within the Louisiana, New Orleans through January 4 “The Borders,” juried exhibition of works by Texas Genius of Meissen: Porcelain Figures from the H. potters; at the Meadows Gallery, University of Lloyd Hawkins Jr. Collection.” “Grotesqueries: Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd. Form, Fantasy and Function in 19th-Century Vermont, Montpelier February 1—28 “Emerging European Ceramics, The Collection of Brooke Artists of the U.S.”; at the Vermont Clay Studio, Hayward Duchin.” “Bright, Bold and Shining: 24 Main St. Copper Lusters from the Collection of Donald A. Virginia, Alexandria through January 4 “Trans­ Meyer”; at the New Orleans Museum of Art, City formed through Fire,” works by Washington Kiln Park, 1 Collins Diboll Circle. Club members; at Scope Gallery, Torpedo Fac­ Maryland, Baltimore January 17-February 21 tory, 105 N. Union St.

78 CERAMICS MONTHLY Ceramics in Multimedia Exhibitions Arizona, Mesa through January 3 “Creature Fea­ ture.” January 13-February 7 “20th Annual Vahki.” February 17-March 14 “Get Real”; at Mesa Arts Center, 155 N. Center St. Arizona, Tempe through February 8 “Heart”; at Tempe Arts Center, Mill Ave. and First St. Arizona, Tucson through January 3 “Annual Holi­ day Exhibition,” including ceramics by Kathleen Nartuhi. January 3-31 Two-person exhibition with ceramics by Thomas Kerrigan; at Obsidian Gallery, St. Philips Plaza, 4340 N. Campbell Ave., Ste. #90. Arkansas, Little Rock through January 4 “Collector’s Show and Sale.” “Toys Designed by Artists Silver Anniversary Exhibition”; at the Deco­ rative Arts Museum, Seventh and Rock. February 22-March 29 “Regional Craft Biennial Competition”; at the Arkansas Arts Center, MacArthur Park, Ninth and Commerce. California, Los Angeles through February 2“Tan­ talizing Teapots: The Felicitous Union of Form and Content,” about 100 interpretations; at the Craft and Folk Art Museum, 5800 Wilshire Blvd. California, San Diego through April 30 “Arts of the Amazon,” exhibition of 250 ritual and other art objects; at Mingei International Museum of Folk Art, Balboa Park, Plaza de Panama. California, San Francisco through January 30 “Teapot Invitational,” functional and sculptural teapots by clay and glass artists; at Dorothy Weiss Gallery, 256 Sutter St. through February 8 “L’Chaim! A Kiddush Cup Invitational,” including cups by 21 clay artists; at the Jewish Museum, 121 Steuart St. California, Walnut Creek through January 4“ Art for the Holidays”; at the Bedford Gallery, 1601 Civic Dr. D.C., Washington through April 26 “Japanese Arts of the Meiji Era (1868-1912)”; at the Freer Gallery of Art, Smithsonian Institution. Florida, Hollywood February 20-May 10 “45th Florida Craftsmen Exhibition”; at the Art and Culture Center of Hollywood, 1650 Harrison St. Florida, St. Petersburg January 16-February 27 “The Beaded Object”; at Florida Craftsmen Gal­ lery, 501 Central Ave. Florida, Tampa through January 10 “Creative Coloration.” February 6-March 28 “9th Annual Black and White, Shades of Gray”; at Artists Unlimited, 223 N. 12th St. Kentucky, Louisville through January 10 “The Goblet: Artistry, Ritual and Function”; at TriArt Gallery, 400 W. Market St., Ste. 150. January 24-February 13 “DinnerWorks ’98,” ex­ hibition of artwork for the table by 30 artists; at the Louisville Art Association, Water Tower, River Rd. Maryland, Baltimore throughJanuary 18 “A Grand Design: The Art of the Victoria and Albert Mu­ seum”; at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Art Museum Dr. Massachusetts, Boston through January 2 “T rends in Contemporary Craft Education,” clay, glass, bookbinding, furniture and metals; at the Society of Arts and Crafts, 101 Arch St. through January 4“T rends in Contemporary Craft Education”; at the Society of Arts and Crafts, 175 Newbury St. Massachusetts, New Bedford through January 13 “The Figure in Clay and Fiber”; at the New Bedford Art Museum, 608 Pleasant St. Massachusetts, Northampton January 24-Feb­ ruary 23 “Introductions”; at Ferrin Gallery, 179 Main. Missouri, Warrensburg January 24-February 22 Continued January 1998 79 Calendar New York, New York through January “The Sevres Ohio, Lancaster throughJanuary 2“ New Works— Porcelain Manufactory: Alexandre Brongniart and New Faculty,” exhibition of works by new faculty the T riumph of Art and Innovation, 1800-1847,” at Western Illinois University; at the Gallery at includes 35 porcelain tableware and presentation Studio B, 140 W. Main St. “Greater Midwest International XIII”; at Central pieces, 20 unglazed porcelain blanks, 110 work­ Ohio, Mansfield February 22—March 22 “Annual Missouri State University, Art Center Gallery. ing drawings and watercolors of Sevres porcelain; All-Ohio Juried Art Exhibition”; at Pearl Conard New Jersey, Haddon Township through January at Bard Graduate Center for Studies in the Deco­ Art Gallery, the Ohio State University at Mansfield, 10 “Art that Works: Celebrating Function and rative Arts, 18 W. 86th St. 1680 University Dr. Imagination in Multimedia,” including ceramics New York, Staten Island through January 4 Oregon, Portland through January 3 Two-person by Paul Heroux and Amy Sarner Williams; at “Staten Island Biennial Juried Craft Exhibi­ exhibition with ceramic sculpture by Dharma Hopkins House Gallery, 250 S. Park Dr. tion”; at Staten Island Institute of Arts and Strasser; at BonaKeane Gallery, 205 S.W. Pine St. New York, Albany through February 16“Arts and Sciences, 75 Stuyvesant PI. Pennsylvania, Allentown January 25—March 15 Crafts: From the Collections of the New York North Carolina, Asheville through January 3 “Silver “26th Juried Show”; at Allentown Art Museum, State Museum.” February 6—April26“ rT\it 1998 Celebration: 25 Artists/A Quarter Century Adven­ Fifth and Court sts. New York State Biennial”; at the New York State ture in the Arts”; at Blue Spiral 1, 38 Biltmore Ave. Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh February 13-March 22 Museum, Empire State Plaza. Ohio, Columbus through April 30 The “118th Biennial exhibition of works by members of the New York, Brooklyn February 1—28 “The Wed­ Student Exhibition”; at Columbus College of Art Craftsman Guild of Pittsburgh; at the Pittsburgh ding”; at Brooklyn Artisans Gallery, 221A Court St. and Design, Canzani Center, 60 Cleveland Ave. Center for the Arts Gallery, Mellon Park, 6300 Fifth Ave. Pennsylvania, Wayne through January 22 “Craft Forms ’97,” juried national exhibition; at Wayne Art Center, 413 Maplewood Ave. Tennessee, Chattanooga through May “1997-98 Sculpture Garden Exhibit”; at River Gallery, 400 E. Second St. Tennessee, Gatlinburg through February 21 “Arrowmont Permanent Collection Exhibition.” February 26—April 11 “New Form/New Func­ tion: Surface.” “National Spring Faculty Invita­ tional Exhibition”; at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, 556 Parkway. Tennessee, Knoxville through January 4 “The Spirit of Ancient Peru: Treasures from the Museo Arqueologico Rafael Larco Herrera”; at the Knox­ ville Museum of Art, 1050 World’s Fair Park Dr. Tennessee, NashvilleFebruary 19—March 18 “Vi­ sual Fragments,” two-person exhibition with wood-fired ceramics by Bill Griffith; at Sarratt Gallery at Vanderbilt University, 402 Sarratt. Texas, Fort Worth through January 25 “Hidden Treasures from Tervuren: Masterpieces from the Royal Museum for Central Africa, Belgium”; at Kimbell Art Museum, 3333 Camp Bowie Blvd. Texas, Houston February 6-27“Materials + Form 5,” regional juried exhibition; at Art League of Houston, 1953 Montrose Blvd. Washington, Kirkland January 8-February 15 “New Year/New Works”; at Anderson Glover Gallery, 303 Kirkland Ave. Wisconsin, Oconomowoc February 22-March 29 “Teapots, Fun, Funky and Functional”; at the Oconomowoc Gallery, 157 E. Wisconsin Ave.

Fairs, Festivals and Sales Arizona, Phoenix February 27-March 1 “The Phoenix Antique and Art Show”; at the Phoenix Art Museum, Cummings Great Hall, 1625 N. Central Ave. California, Indio January 31—February 1 “The Southwest Arts Festival”; at the Riverside County Fair and National Date Festival grounds, High­ way 111. California, San Francisco February 6-8 “The Tribal, Folk and Textile Arts Show. ” February 12— 15 “Arts of Pacific Asia”; at the Festival Pavilion, Fort Mason Center. Florida, Gainesville February 6—8 “ 12th Annual Hoggetowne Medieval Faire”; at the Alachua County Fairgrounds. Florida, Palm Beach Gardens February 14-16 “13th Annual ArtiGras”; at the Gardens of the Palm Beaches. Kentucky, Louisville January 23—25 “Kentucky Crafted: The Market”; at the Kentucky Fair and Exposition Center, West Hall. Maryland, Baltimore February 20—22 “ACC Craft Show Baltimore”; at the Baltimore Conven­ tion Center.

80 CERAMICS MONTHLY Texas, Houston through January 4 “Christmas/ Florida, Saint Petersburg February 23 “Booth ter, 980 Briarcliff Rd., Atlanta 30306; telephone Holidays!”; at Archway Gallery, 2013 W. Gray. Design and Construction” and “Marketing and (404) 874-9351 or e-mail [email protected] Sales Techniques.” February 24 “Slides and the Maryland, Baltimore January 17-18 Hands-on Jury Process.” Instructor: Bruce Baker. Fee per workshop with Janis Mars Wunderlich. February Workshops day: $50; members, $40; includes lunch. Regis­ 2—6 Hands-on workshop with Brad Schwieger. Arizona, Bisbee February 1—6 or 8—13 Hand- tration deadline: February 10. Contact Florida Contact Baltimore Clayworks, (410) 578-1919. building workshops with Thomas Kerrigan, ex­ Craftsmen, (813) 821-7391. Maryland, Frederick January 8-11 “Master Work­ ploring once-fired surface processes, including Florida, Sopchoppy January 12-17 or 26-31 “A shop” with Joyce Michaud, focusing on advanced glazing. Contact Thomas Kerrigan, PO Box 572, Spirited Approach to Clay” with George Griffin, throwing skills. Fee: $185. Contact Hood College Bisbee 85603; or telephone (520) 432-4819. includes stoneware, single-fire oxidation, fast-fire Ceramics Program, 401 Rosemont Ave., Frederick Arizona, Mesa February 16—21 Wood-firing work­ wood, business as an art form of self-expression. 21701; or telephone (301) 696-3456 or (301) shop with Don Reitz. Intermediate and advanced Limited to 4 participants. Fee: $350, includes 698-0929. skill levels. Fee: $300, includes firing. Registra­ materials, firing and lodging. Contact George Massachusetts, Plymouth April 11—12 Demon­ tion deadline: January 15. Contact Mesa Arts Griffin, (850) 962-9311. stration and slide lecture with Svend Bayer. Con­ Center, 155 N. Center St., Mesa 85211-1466; or Georgia, Atlanta February 7-8 Lecture and dem­ tact the Plimoth Plantation, (508) 746-1622, ext. telephone (602) 644-2056, fax (602) 644-2901, onstration with Cynthia Bringle. February 21—22 356, or (781) 837-4263. e-mail [email protected] Lecture and demonstration with Michael Simon. Massachusetts, Somerville January 24—25 Dem­ Arizona, Tempe March 6—8 Lecture and work­ Contact Glenn Dair, Callanwolde Fine Arts Cen­ onstration and hands-on workshop with Woody shop with Richard Shaw. Lecture is free. Work­ shop fee: $100; Tempe Arts Center members, $60; ASU students, $30. Telephone the Tempe Arts Center, (602) 968-0888. California, Northridge January 23-25 “Totems of Tea,” slide presentation/demonstration on thrown and altered forms combined with handbuilt pieces with Kevin Myers. Fee: $40; members, $35. Contact Jo Nan Ahrentzen, Workshop Co­ ordinator, American Ceramic Society-Design Chapter, 10136 Hillview Ave., Chatsworth, CA 91311; telephone (626) 797-6615. California, Rancho Palos Verdes January 17 A session with Peter Shire.February 7 Lecture/dem­ onstration with Mario Bartels. Fee per session: $40; members, $35. Contact the Palos Verdes Art Center, (310) 541-2479. California, San Diego February 21 Demonstra­ tion of soft-slab handbuilding techniques with Lana Wilson. Fee: $25; members, $20. Contact Ceramic Artists of San Diego, c/o 4259 Feather Ave., San Diego 92117; or telephone John Conrad at Mesa College, (619) 627-2610. California, Ukiah March 20-29 A session with Svend Bayer, coiling and throwing large pots, loading and firing an anagama. Fee: $450, in­ cludes materials, firing and camping facilities. Contact Doug Browe/Jan Hoyman, 323 N. Main St., Ukiah 95482; telephone (707) 468-8835 or e-mail [email protected] Colorado, Boulder January 30—31 “Another Look at Functional Pots” with Jeff Oestreich. Fee: $60. Sponsored by the Boulder Potters’ Guild. Contact Caroline Douglas, 1527 North St., Boulder 80304; or telephone (303) 447-0110. Connecticut, Brookfield January 24 “Carving Porcelain Jewelry” with Jean Mann. January 30— 31 “Trompe l’Oeil Ceramics” with Lillian Dodson. February 7“Baskets for Potters” with Nancy Moore Bess. February 14-75 “Tile Making” with Siglinda Scarpa. Contact Brookfield Craft Center, PO Box 122, Rte. 25, Brookfield 06804; or telephone (203) 775-4526. Connecticut, Guilford March28-29“Glaze Work­ shop for Potters” with Angela Fina. Contact Guilford Handcraft Center, PO Box 589, 411 Church St., Guilford 06437; or telephone (203) 453-5947. Florida, Atlantic Beach January 17—18 “Innova­ tive Handbuilding Techniques” with Lana Wil­ son. Contact Atlantic Beach Potters, 28 Seminole Rd., Atlantic Beach 32233; phone/fax (904) 249- 4499 or e-mail [email protected] Florida, DeLand January 21—22 Lecture/work- shop with Vincent Sansone. February 25 Lecture/ workshop with Susan Z. Vey. Location: Stetson University. For further information, contact Art­ ists and Lecturers Committee, (904) 822-7266. Florida, Gainesville January 9—10 Slide lecture and workshop with Pete Pinnell. Contact Kathy King, Florida Potters Guild, (352) 392-0201, ext. 232, or e-mail [email protected] January 1998 81 techniques used to make large forms for anagama- Calendar type kilns with Hiroshi Ogawa. Fee: $20; OPA members, $15. February 28-March 1 Making pots, discussing glazing and the wood-fire aes­ Hughes, working with terra cotta. Fee: $150; thetic with Jack Troy. Participants can send 2 members, $75. February 6 Slide presentation on small (teabowl-size) pots for firing. Fee: $80; OPA Nicaraguan potters with Debra Askanase. March members and students, $60. March 14 Hand- 8 and 22 “Zen, Yoga and the Physics of Clay” with building with porcelain, throwing miniatures, David LaPierre. Fee: $100; members, $50. March brush decoration, glazing and the use of low-fire 14-15 Demonstration and critiques with Michael stains on porcelain with Barb Campbell and Terry Kline and Mark Shapiro. Fee: $100; members, Inokuma. Fee: $20; OPA members, $15. Contact $50. Contact Mudflat Studio, 149 Broadway, Stephen Mickey, Mt. Hood Community College, Somerville 02145; or telephone (617) 628-0589. 26000 S.E. Stark St., Gresham 97030. Massachusetts, Stockb ridge January24-25“ Japa­ Pennsylvania, Philadelphia February 13 Lecture nese Throwing Workshop” with Malcolm Wright. with Janet Koplos. March 13 Lecture with Victor Contact Interlaken School of Art, PO Box 1400, Babu. Location: Moore College of Art and De­ Stockbridge 01262; or telephone (413) 298-5252. sign. Contact the Clay Studio, 139 N. Second St., Massachusetts, Williamsburgy4pr/l25-27“Work- Philadelphia 19106; or telephone (215) 925-3453. ing with Colored Clays: A Japanese Approach to Pennsylvania, Pitts burgh Jan uary 10-11 “Draw­ the Vessel” with Debbie Freed. Contact Hori­ ing and Painting on Clay” with David Gamble. zons, 108 N. Main St., Sunderland, MA 01375; Contact Pittsburgh Center for the Arts School, telephone (413) 665-0300, fax (413) 665-4141, 1047 Shady Ave., Pittsburgh 15232; or telephone e-mail [email protected] or website (412) 361-0455. www.Horizons-art.org February 20—22 Lecture (February 20) and work­ Massachusetts, Worcester January 17—18 shop with David McDonald. Contact Manches­ “Throwing Clinic” with Scott Goldberg. Fee: ter Craftsmen’s Guild, 1815 Metropolitan St., $135; members, $120; includes materials. Con­ Pittsburgh 15233; or telephone (412) 322-1773. tact Worcester Center for Crafts, 25 Sagamore Tennessee, Gatlinburg March 2-6“Tile: Techni­ Rd., Worcester 01605; telephone (508) 753-8183. cal Details and Experimentation” with Gloria Michigan, Berrien Springs February 28-March 1 Kosco. March 9-13 “Tradition and Innovation” Slide lecture (February 28) and workshop with with Markjohnson. March 16-20 “Handbuilding” Linda Christianson. Workshop fee: $25. Contact with Kathy Triplett. March 23-27 “Majolica: A Steve Hansen, (616) 471-3281. Glaze for Painters” with Terry Siebert. Fee per New Mexico, Taos January 24—25 “Modern week: $275. Contact Arrowmont School of Arts Mosaic” with Aliah Sage. Fee: $175, includes and Crafts, PO Box 567, Gatlinburg 37738; tele­ materials/equipment. Beginning skill level. Lim­ phone (423) 436-5860, fax (423) 430-4101 or ited to 12 students. For further information, e-mail [email protected] contact Taos Institute of Arts, 5280 NDCBU, Texas, Lancaster February 6 A lecture with Mar­ Taos 87571; telephone (800) 822-7183 or (505) garet Bohls. Telephone the Cedar Valley College 758-2793, e-mail [email protected] or website Ceramics Gallery, (972) 860-8046. www.taosnet.com/TIA/ Texas, San Antonio January24—25A session with New York, New York February 6and 13 “Studio Peter Beasecker. Sponsored by the San Antonio Ergonomics and Yoga Techniques for the Ceram­ Potter’s Guild and Palo Alto College. Contact ics Artist” with Ellen Saltonstall. Fee: $90; mem­ Kevin Finegan, 15015 Elm Park, San Antonio bers, $75. February 21-22 “Gas Firing Work­ 78247; or telephone (210) 496-4783. shop” with Alan Davidson. Fee: $140; members, Vermont, Montpelier January 23 Demonstration $ 125 .March 21 “Beyond Tradition” with Makoto with Ara Cardew. Fee: $4; members, $3 .January Yabe, traditional and contemporary approaches 24—25 Hands-on workshop with Ara Cardew. to Japanese pottery. Fee: $90; members, $75. Fee: $95, includes clay. February 20 Demonstra­ Contact the Craft Students League, YWCA/NYC, tion of making clay whistles with Mary Stone. 610 Lexington Ave., New York 10022; or tele­ Fee: $4; members, $3. For further information, phone (212) 735-9731. contact the Vermont Clay Studio, 24 Main St., New York, Port Chester January 30-31 “Pottery Montpelier 05602; or telephone (802) 223-4220. of the Heart: Examining Utility” with Joseph Virginia, Alexandria January 31 “Surface Decora­ Bennion. Fee: $110. Contact Clay Art Center, 40 tion and Creating a Personal Vision” with Gary Beech St., Port Chester 10573; or telephone (914) Schlappal. Fee: $50. Contact the Art League School 937-2047. (Pottery Dept.), 105 N. Union St., Alexandria North Carolina, BrasstownJanuary 1 7-I7“Raku” 22314; or telephone (703) 683-2323. with Steven Forbes-deSoule. January 18-24 “Raku” with Cynthia Bringle. February 8-14*Pot­ International Events tery Basics: Handbuilding and Wheel” with Marcia Bugg. February 15—20 “Whistle While You Work” England, Chichester February 8—11 A workshop with Mary Dashiell. February 22—28 “Wheel on surface decoration on ceramics, with an em­ Throwing” with Lee Davis. March 22-28 “Func­ phasis on majolica for plates and tiles, with John tional Design: Wheel and Hand” with Lucy Hinchcliffe and Wendy Barber. February 20-22 Hamilton. March 29-April 4 “The Art of Raku” A workshop on musical earthenware instruments with Lynn Jenkins. Contact John C. Campbell with Neil Ions. March 1-6 Handbuilding and Folk School, (800) FOLK-SCH. throwing workshop with Alison Sandeman. March North Carolina, Charlotte January 31-February 15-20 A workshop on sculptural ceramics, ex­ 1 A session with Cynthia Bringle. Fee: $110; perimenting with human and animal forms, with members, $85. Contact Carolina Clay Matters, Tessa Fuchs. March20-22Throwing and turning (704) 544-0048. workshop with Alison Sandeman. March 29- Ohio, Wooster April 15—18 “Functional Ceram­ April 3 A workshop on sculptural pots for plants ics Workshop” with Cynthia Bringle, Pete Pinnell with Gordon Cooke. Contact the College Office, and Patty Wouters. Fee: $180; three days, $140; West Dean College, West Dean, Chichester, West includes lunches, 1 dinner and catalog of “Func­ Sussex P018 0QZ; or telephone (243) 811301. tional Ceramics” exhibition. Contact Phyllis Blair England, London through January 18 “The Leach Clark, 102 Oakmont Ct., Wooster 44691. Family.” through March 29 Exhibition of ceramics Oregon, Gresham January 17 Demonstration of by Bernard Leach. January 20-February 23 “Ber-

82 CERAMICS MONTHLY nard Leach’s Contemporaries.” “Janet Leach 1918-1997.” February 25—March 22 “Present- Day Responses to Leach”; at the Crafts Council Gallery Shop, 44a Pentonville Rd., Islington. January 11 “Potters Responding to Leach” series, a lecture with David Leach. January 31 A work­ shop with Jennifer Lee. February 8 “Potters Re­ sponding to Leach” series, a lecture with Ruthanne Tudball. February 28 “Leach and His World,” a conference including speakers Emmanuel Coo­ per, Yuko Kikuchi, Fiona MacCarthy, Michael Tooby and Edmund de Waal. Location: Victoria and Albert Museum. March 8 “Potters Respond­ ing to Leach” series, a lecture with Joanna Constantinidis. March 27 A workshop with Takeshi Yasuda. Contact the Crafts Council, Education Section, (0171) 806 2528. January 14-February 13 “Gallery Pots”; at Galerie Besson, 15 Royal Arcade, 28 Old Bond St. January 21-25 “The Decorative Antiques and Textiles Fair”; at the Marquee, Riverside Ter­ races, Battersea Park. January 21-February 14 “Gifts for Valentines.” February 4-April 5 “Japanese Influences”; at Crafts Council Shop at the Victoria &c Albert Museum, S. Kensington. England, Oxford through January 7 “All for Your Delight,” three-person exhibition with ceramics by Sophie MacCarthy. January 12-February 11 “Big Breakfast”; at Oxford Gallery, 23 High St. Finland, Hameenlinna through January ^“Odys­ sey,” exhibition of ceramics by Erna Aaltonen; at Hameenlinnan Taidemuseo, Viipurintie 2. France, Dunkerque through January 25 Exhibi­ tion of ceramics by Claudi Casanovas and Betty Woodman; at Musee d’Art Contemporain. France, Mulhouse through February 28 “Masses de Scenes,” installation by Obi Oberwallner. “Offrez Vous les Terres”; at Maison de la Ce- ramique, 25, rue Josue Hofer. Jamaica, Montego Bay April 16-25 “Making Pottery in Jamaica” with David Pinto and Jeff Shapiro. Contact Anderson Ranch Arts Center, PO Box 5598, Snowmass Village, CO 81615; telephone (976) 923-3181 or fax (976) 923-3871. Mexico, Oaxaca January 7—15 “From the Zapotec Tradition and Beyond,” workshop with Bob Green. Contact Horizons, 108 N. Main St., Sunderland, MA 01375; or telephone (413) 665- 0300. January 12—17 “Oaxacan Pottery Workshop.” Fee: US$440, includes materials, lodging, most meals. Limited to 7 participants. Contact Eric Mindling and Rachel Werling, Manos de Oaxaca, AP 1452, Oaxaca, Oax., CP 68000; e-mail [email protected] or fax (951) 3-6776. Mexico, near Todos Santos February 9-13 and/or 16-20“T raditional Baja Ranchware” with Lorena Hankins, finding and preparing clay, making tra­ ditional cooking pots, firing. Location: Rancho Pilar. Fee/session: US$250, includes tools, some clay, firing, lunch, snacks. Contact Cuco Moyron, Apto. 58, Todos Santos, B. C. S., Mexico 23300. Netherlands, Delft through January 10 Objects and wall plates by Giuseppe Lampariello. January 17-February 28 Porcelain objects by Pauline Wiertz; at Terra Keramiek, Nieuwstraat 7. Netherlands, Deventer through January 10 Exhi­ bition of ceramics by Gilbert Portanier. January 24-February 21 Exhibition of works by Siegfried Gorinskat, Renee Reichenbach and Frank Steyaert; at Loes and Reinier, Korte Assenstraat 15. Netherlands, Leeuwardenthrough March 8 “Raku: A Dynasty of Japanese Potters”; at Keramiek- musuem het Princessehof, Grote Kerkstraat 11. Switzerland, Geneva through January 14 Ceram­ ics and glass by Bernard Dejonghe; at Ariana, Swiss Museum of Ceramics and Glass, 10, Ave. de la Paix.

January 1998 83 Questions Answered by the CM Technical Staff

Q Here s the situation: The main body clay and contrasting clay are slab-rolled in two or three directions. The body clay is then overlaid with the contrasting clay, and slab-rolled again. A circle is cut to size, then a plate is slumped in a fabric <(hammock "over a bucket rim. There has been no problem with separation of the two clays; how­ ever, glazed and non glazedpieces become warped. Why?-—D. C. Perhaps the best way to start would be with an explanation of why clay shrinks. Warping is the result of uneven shrinkage in both the wet-to-dry stage, then again as the body “melts” to maturity. The more the clay melts, the more shrinkage takes place. The wet-to-dry shrinkage happens because water of plasticity, in leaving the clay, allows the flat clay crystals to come closer to­ gether. Imagine a deck of cards with water be­ tween each card. The more water between the cards, the easier the cards will slide. More water equals more plasticity—and more shrinkage as the water leaves. The first rule of slab building is: don’t use clay with a higher shrinkage than is needed for the forming method. Less shrinkage equals less warp­ ing simply because less plasticity means less water is needed. If a tile is laid on a table, the water leaves from the top and edges first. The top tries to shrink, but is bonded to the clay below, so the tile has to curl. You would think all would return to flat eventually, but the top clay has become less than plastic during the process and is therefore unable to bend all the way back again. The other factor—which seems to me to be the most important of the two—is introduced stress. Clay will remember any stretching and try to return to the original unstressed shape. A good example of this is the way a thrown spout un­ winds during drying and firing. If you are going to cut a bevel at the end of the spout, you have to cut it at an angle so that the spout winds up level after the glaze fire—easier said than done. Stress can happen in many ways. Slab rollers tend to compress the clay in the middle and stretch the clay around the outside—a sure way to introduce warping. Or slabs can be bent when they are picked up while wet. Again, clay remem­ bers everything you do. This “memory” has an effect during the drying and firing stages as the clay shrinks. One way of “seeing” the ways in which stress is built into a slab: Roll out a slab any way you

Have a problem? Subscribers’ questions are welcome, and those of interest to the ceramics community in general will be an­ swered in this column. Due to volume, letters may not be answered personally. Mail to Ceramics Monthly, PO Box 6102, Westerville, Ohio 43086-6102, e-mail to [email protected] or fax to (614) 891-8960.

84 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 85 Questions

choose, then cut it in strips, letting them dry and fire. This will expose the different ways the strips warp and will lead to a better understanding and solution of the problem. It is possible to have slabs dry flat (many people have success in drying tiles between sheets of plasterboard), but have them come out of the glaze kiln warped. In this case, they have avoided warpage during drying, but the forming stresses are still in the clay, waiting to get even. To minimize the introduction of competing stresses, uniform methods of forming must be “invented,” shrinkage must be kept to a mini­ mum and drying must be controlled. Commer­ cial producers make all those unwarped tiles by evenly pressing powdered clay; with very little moisture in the clay body, the result is virtually no wet-to-dry shrinkage. So how do we deal with the problem? Add grog to minimize shrinkage, form in ways that create as little uneven stress as possible, dry slowly and evenly, and handle in ways that avoid un­ wanted “memories.” Much has been written about why clay does what it does. Understanding the dynamics of clay particle alignment and arrangement will lead to creative ways of minimizing the shrinkage prob­ lems inherent in this wonderful material. In the meantime, the best general advice I can offer is, if you are going to stretch the clay, stretch it all the same amount and not all in the same direction. If you are going to compress the clay, compress it all evenly. In your specific case, where two different clays are bonded together, it is most likely true that each of these clays has a different rate ofwet- to-dry shrinkage, firing shrinkage and overall shrinkage. The first step in trying to equalize— or at least minimize these differences—is to test both bodies for shrinkage. It may be possible to even out at least some of the shrinkage differences by adding grog. The second step would be to make the slabs in different ways and laminate them in different ways to find the combination that produces the least warping. A third step would be to laminate the two slabs at the last possible moment. There will be a point in the drying of the two slabs when they have gone through at least some of their shrink­ age but will still bond together under the roller. Drying these slabs should be done in a controlled situation so that they are the same hardness and perfectly even—perhaps stacked with cloth or paper between and covered. Much care must be taken when changing the absorbent material between the slabs so as not to introduce un­ wanted stress. Making your slabs oversized may help as well. You will then cut off more of the stretched outside clay, thus reducing the effect of that stretched clay on the plate. Ron Roy Studio Potter/Consultant Toronto, Ontario

86 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 87 88 CERAMICS MONTHLY Steve Davis-Rosenbaum by Nancy K. Forman

“Tin Glazed Pottery,” an exhibition fea­ turing new work by Steve Davis- Rosenbaum of Lexington, Kentucky, was presented recently at the Capital Gallery in Frankfort, Kentucky. A gradu­ ate of the University of Georgia (M.F.A. 1986), Davis-Rosenbaum is a traditional potter with a fine artists eye for design and color, bringing a complexity and an intricacy to utilitarian objects. “Much of my pottery originates,” says Davis-Rosenbaum, “in the basic human joys of eating and cooking with all their overtones: fireside, nourishment, caring and celebration. Beautiful dishes have become synonymous for me with love of food and its presentation. Even “Chip and Dip,” 12 inches in height, my vases present themselves to me in majolica-decorated the context of a table setting. I make terra cotta, $250. my pots based on my personal domes-

“Triple Jalapeno Dip,” 8 inches in height, wheel-thrown terra cotta, with fluxed stains on majolica glaze, $250.

January 1998 89 “Covered Jar,” 8½ inches in height, $70, with brushed stains on majolica base glaze.

tic needs and lifestyle choices; and the focus of my production is everyday dishes for use in cooking, dining and home decoration.” Over a majolica base glaze applied to the wheel-thrown terra-cotta forms, he applies a variety of stains that react with one another in the kiln. Most combine a tin/vanadium stain with a chrome black or green stain to encourage chrome/tin “flashing.” Though salt-glazed stoneware has been Davis-Rosenbaums mainstay for the past ten years, this new flashed ma­ jolica reflects an Italian influence (in the majolica-type white glaze) meeting the influences of Japanese and Islamic “Open Vase,” 7½ inches in height, majolica on terra cotta, $60, bold decoration. by Steve Davis-Rosenbaum, Lexington, Kentucky. Davis-Rosenbaum admits that he is still “struggling with the same issues of form, function, surface, decoration and color” that all evolving artists know so well. Art must, of course, embrace emo­ tion and intellect, but to bring to frui­ tion any given idea or theme in functional pottery, an artist must also understand process and technique. ▲

90 CERAMICS MONTHLY “Bowl,” 4 inches in height, wheel-thrown terra cotta, with brushed stains on majolica base glaze, $65.

Flashed Majolica by Steve Davis-Rosenbaum

All my pots are thrown on a Leach- Linda Arbuckle s Majolica Glaze up about two years ago, and am still style treadle wheel, then altered off the (Cone 04) using what I have left. Presently, I am wheel. Each is covered with a white Frit 3124 (Ferro)...... 65.72% in the process of testing a variety of majolica-type base glaze in prepara­ Kona F-4 Feldspar...... 17.23 other yellows made from tin/vanadium tion for painting with colored stains Nepheline Syenite...... 6.24 combinations. Initial tests have been mixed with a flux. Edgar Plastic Kaolin ...... 10.81 positive with Mason 6440 or 6404. I prefer to use stains that will react 100.00% Some of the other stains I use are with one another, causing flashing ef­ Leslie Z-560 for black, Mason 6223 Add:Tin Oxide...... 5.00% fects. Usually, I begin with a tin/vana- for green, Mason 6605 for crimson Zircopax...... 10.00% dium layer that turns pink/orange/red, and Mason 6254 for blue-green. Bentonite ...... 2.00% depending on the flux used (Gerstley For onglaze decoration, these are borate or Ferro Frit 3124) and add Over this I apply a variety of com­ mixed 1 teaspoon of stain to 3 tea­ chrome black or green patterns. The mercial stains. The tin/vanadium yel­ spoons of Gerstley borate, or 40% resulting chrome/tin flashing adds low stain that I use in combination stain to 60% Ferro Frit 3124. To im­ variation to the surface. with chrome stains to get “flashing” prove brush flow, I add some Veegum/ The base glaze is Linda Arbuckles was previously sold by Leslie Ceram­ CMC/water (a 1:1:2 mixture recom­ majolica recipe: ics, but is no longer available. I stocked mended by Walter Ostrom).

January 1998 91 A Farm Pottery in Australia by Emily Stackman

resulted in a salable product that I love ages of 6 to 16, I lived a nomadic, to make. hippyish existence throughout Europe At college, we were trained to be art­ and Asia, interspersed with time on our ists rather than craftspeople. The accent small farm in Australia. My parents had was on the deep and meaningful one-of- a great love and respect of handcrafted a-kind piece that was very unlikely to things, which we used in our daily life. sell. There was little emphasis on creat­ In Italy, in particular, we were immersed ing a range of ware that people would in the local pottery. Yet earthenware has want to use. This experience did allow never really drawn me; I love the strength us to explore in a way that the produc­ and pureness of porcelain. tion potter rarely has time for, and for One of my strongest influences has ^lunning a 3000-acre sheep farm and that I am grateful, but it left us ill- been English potter John Calver, whose a pottery business in rural Australia may equipped for financial survival. It took work is very unlike mine. He has stayed seem an unlikely combination, but here me some time to understand that I with us a number of times, and his phi­ I am. The farm is an incredibly beautiful should have standard weights and sizes losophy and attitude toward his work place, with five wooded mountains, for each piece so that people could re­ many creeks and an abundance of wild­ place broken lids and matching pieces, life, as well as the Merino sheep we run. and so galleries would know exactly what The downside is that we are living it is they are ordering. through the worst rural recession in When I left college, I set myself the Australia’s history and we have just come task of spending five years on develop­ out of a four-year drought. ing my throwing, five years on decora­ I’ve found that there is nothing like tion and five years on marketing. For the financial need to start the creative juices first few years this worked, but since flowing. Before we bought this place, I then the three goals have tended to fuse was fresh out of college and groping for and work alongside one another. At the direction. My pottery sold steadily, but I time, that initial plan made it easier to have inspired and motivated me. I also had not developed a distinctive and con­ set priorities and not feel swamped by love John Glick’s and Michael Casson’s sistent style. The need to eat brought the inadequacy. forms for their strength and beauty. Is­ threads together. Ideas that had been My childhood was a big contributing lamic brushwork is a source of delight, germinating for years tumbled forth and factor to my choice of lifestyle. From the as well. While building up the pottery, I taught at a high school and technical colleges, which was very good for my work. My drawing skills were enhanced and my standards lifted; plus my goals became more defined as I demanded the same of others. Teaching also required a lot of technical reading, and I found it coming out in my own work. I finally was able to give up teaching and become a real partner on the farm. The pottery, farming and motherhood all fit together in a way that regular teaching never did. I now produce domestic ware, thrown from a porcelaneous stoneware and deco­ rated raw with commercial underglaze. The underglaze powder is mixed only with water, giving it the consistency of ink. As I brush the design onto the dry- leather-hard work, the underglaze flows By drawing from a stockpile of undecorated ware, smoothly, with none of the “grabbing” Stackman can fill and deliver orders in just two weeks. of bisque. The pieces are then fired to

92 CERAMICS MONTHLY 950°C (1742°F), which sets the under­ glaze so it won’t smudge when the pots are handled as I dip them in a clear glaze, fired to 1280°C (2336°F). Though the zinc included in this glaze limits the colors I can use, it does bring forth cer­ tain qualities in the brushwork I can’t otherwise reproduce. My imagery has taken quite some time to evolve; the designs need to fit the form of the pot without being fussy. not trying to force-dry work when the I have to feel confident in these designs weather is endlessly cold and wet. to make the brushwork effective. There Over the past couple of years, I’ve is no second chance to rework the im­ learned a lot about marketing. I keep age. Therefore, a new design will often meticulous records. I now don’t deal on take over a year of experimentation be­ consignment. I once tried selling from a fore I offer it for sale. catalog, but found it relied too heavily The last couple of years have pre­ on the quality and enthusiasm of the sented fresh challenges with the births ofsalespeople and was a very “bitsy” way to my children. I thought it would be very operate; it also cost a lot to produce and hard to keep potting once the first ar­ didn’t allow for much development or rived, but it hasn’t proven so. I have a flexibility once the photos were taken. baby monitor in the studio and do the Finally, I felt my work was ready to urgent jobs first, then the extras as be publicized. I updated my resume, naptime permits. I find being so careful wrote a little rave about my pots and with my time has helped to focus the took some nice photos, then sent them work, and I am a more satisfied mother along with a cover letter to some news­ having more than child care in my life. papers and magazines. I had a 100% Before the birth of my first child, I positive response. Feedback from the en­ worried about being able to supply my suing articles was huge. I sent the same galleries, but wasn’t sure how I would be collection of information along with pho­ able to throw at the end of my preg­ tocopies of articles to any gallery I nancy and during her early babyhood. thought sounded interesting. I now have So I looked up what the galleries had about 12 galleries, each averaging about ordered over a six-month period and $ 1000 worth of wholesale orders a year. threw that ahead. I stored the green, With private sales, this is as much as I undecorated ware in lidded polystyrene can keep up with while my children are vegetable boxes. These boxes are the un­small. I will expand as they grow up. sung heroes of the potting world, keep­ It is extremely worthwhile to be well ing pots moist and clean for months on organized. A record for each gallery is end. When a gallery ordered a particular kept in a card file. My order form is in range of designs, I simply needed to triplicate so that I have one as my record decorate and fire them. I found an unex­ (and to tick off payment as they come pected benefit in all this: streamlining of in), one to get messy in the studio and a my throwing. It’s marvelously beneficial clean one to go with the order. Name/ for ones consistency, speed and general address labels stuck to the base of each quality to throw 200 mugs in a hit rather pot can promote further sales, especially than 20. once a pot has been given as a gift. Now, every two months, I ring my Being fussy about quality is equally galleries to take their orders. They ap­ worthwhile. I don’t sell seconds, as they preciate the service and, as it is all on the remain in circulation to tarnish a hard- go, I can get the finished work back to won reputation. them quickly. The pots are taken from Now that I have been potting for the stockpile, decorated to order, fired more than a decade, I find my work and sent off. Instead of the six weeks increasingly satisfying. It’s a wonderful from order to delivery, its now two weeks. career that matures and changes with I’m also a lot less pressured, as I have you. I am really lucky in a way because I intervals between orders to restock. Hav­get to do what I enjoy, and it helps ing six months of blank pots means I’m balance the farm books. ▲

January 1998 93 94 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 95 96 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 97 Comment

A Revolutionary Concept by Kevin A. Hluch

“All true art has, somewhere, an element judgments will prevail in establishing a of the grotesque.” criterion for excellence?” But while most This statement was written in the late would be wary of establishing such a fifties by Soetsu Yanagi and can be found benchmark, due to the aesthetic pitfalls in the book The Unknown Craftsman: A that await, it is my contention that one Japanese Insight into Beauty. In the years already prevails. since this was written, much has changed. The characteristics manifested by Unfortunately, it appears that in todays much contemporary art and craft can art world the grotesque has become a best be described as antithetical to those major component of artistic expression, of beauty. And this penchant is symp­ not a minor one. tomatic of a larger fine-art culture devel­ To the uninitiated, one might think opment. That is, the role model of the that the artists or craftsperson’s trade artist as a one-track, aesthetic revolution­ should have something to do with beauty. ary has become the standard way of think­ Furthermore, one might think that pres­ ing about artists. tigious art and craft institutions would Artists today are trained to break down foster a bona fide aesthetic standard. barriers, to trod new ground, to be radi­ Heaven knows there’s enough ugliness cal and confrontational in their expres­ already in the world. Unfortunately, this sions. The quest for novelty is what simply isn’t the case. buttresses the fine-art culture. And Too often the public is exposed to art throughout the years, this orientation to­ and craft expressions that range from the ward what used to be considered “aes­ abominable to the dumb. And I classify thetic” enterprise has permeated the art most conceptual art in the latter category. education system. Certainly in the ceramics field one readily Craftspeople take the same prepara­ finds expressions that defy understand­ tory courses and follow the same educa­ ing and appreciation. tional regimen as painters and sculptors Without any guiding principle con­ in most higher educational institutions. cerning the nature of beauty, the ultimate As a result, the values currently fashion­ standard becomes a hackneyed cliche: able in the influential commercial fine- beauty (or anything else, for that matter) art culture are transmitted to them is in the eye of the beholder. Doubtless, directly. Consequently, crafts artists have little can be said today to counter this contributed to this inversion of values bland assertion. between beauty and the grotesque. We Yanagi also suggested that “beauty is a now see that artists and craftspeople alike kind of mystery, which is why it cannot are trained to produce work that denies be grasped adequately through the intel­ understanding and, in many respects, ap­ lect.” Indeed, beauty contains an essen­ preciation by the audience at large. In­ tial undecipherable aspect. Without tentionally or not, the distinctive values doubt, the rigor of logical analysis cannot formerly exhibited by art and craft ex­ yet explain the exquisite beauty of a single pressions have been obscured. flower. It is a result of this philosophical It appears that a new academy has loophole that unintelligible and egregious been established. But, instead of holding art and craft expressions exist. But if the the promotion of beauty at its core, a rationale for beauty cannot be found in counter orientation is now upheld. In rigid and knotty intellectual concepts, many respects, the values that artists of then in what is it based today? The an­ the salon promoted 100 years ago have swer is: precious little. been inverted. Today, artistic expressions Paradoxically, the absence of any uni­ that capture the public limelight and are fying principle or suggestion that artists not shocking or bizarre might be thought even toil within the realm serves some in of as anomalous. the field well. The question that can never We now see, characteristically, that it be asked is “What standard or whose is the art of the grotesque or shocking

98 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 99 Comment audience. Vast numbers of individuals, including many artists, “just don’t get it.” That, apparently, is the point of this class that gets abundant press. And the sen­ of objects. This artwork springs from the sory aspects of this type of work are not premise that if the general population pleasant. One only has to look to New cannot understand or appreciate these York and view the butchered carcasses of expressions, then the artist has been suc­ animals under glass to understand the cessful. A more anti-craft stance could process in action. Or, one need only view not have been invented. a meeker version of this orientation in In ancient times, craftspeople produced student work at a nearby art institute. works that were accepted and valued by Both the art and craft world has been members of the society. They would not “Duchamped.” have made them, used them or been bur­ Of course, the cry is always: “Isn’t this ied with them if this were not the case. the role of the artist?” Didn’t most well- Numerous tomb relics from many cul­ known artists make their mark in the tures show that craftspeople (Did artists world by producing work that was not even exist then?) made pots, necklaces, accepted by the general public? This may textiles, baskets and other objects that be true, but it did not were essential to the preclude the presence community in both of at least a minus­ In the evolution of life and death. cule element of the the “shockingly new”..., the least On the other beautiful in those his­ hand, in the evolu­ torical expressions. acceptable values held by fringe tion of the “shock­ Now, however, the elements of the society (or ingly new” as the balance has swung so mantra for contem­ far to the other side exploited by perceptive artists) porary artists (and that it is more and are manifested as essential tagalong craftspeo­ more difficult to find ple), these expres­ in many works any­ images in many contemporary sions necessarily thing that “pleases art and craft expressions. must be disagreeable. the senses or exalts That is, the least ac­ the mind,” a com­ ceptable values held monly accepted definition of beauty. It by fringe elements of the society (or ex­ appears that the ratio of the grotesque in ploited by perceptive artists) are mani­ contemporary expressions has over­ fested as essential images in many whelmed the once dominant concept of contemporary art and craft expressions. beauty in art. This is what the fine-art culture requires Unfortunately for the crafts world, as an embodiment of its own values. this orientation has seeped into our think­ Obviously, this is why George Ohr ing about pottery, too. Much of the “art” and Peter Voulkos belong to the pan­ or “craft” controversy in the discussion of theon of art heroes. The fine-art culture contemporary ceramics spins around the along with the craft culture subscribes to two camps of “innovation-at-all-costs” a standard of aesthetic antagonism. In and “what-about-pots?” this world, too much of a good thing One of the difficulties facing crafts­ (beauty) is bad. Membership to this for­ people today is how to cope with this merly exclusive club is counterintuitive new tradition that has been garnered from for the clueless person. These days the the fine-art culture. Certainly, it is a para­ membership list has been expanded. dox to make pots that shock some cus­ And, it is entirely conceivable that the tomers, yet still retain aspects that might continual degradation of societal values encourage other individuals to purchase will provide continual fodder for this type them. The much ballyhooed work of of artwork. Theoretically, these artists may George Ohr and Peter Voulkos fits well lead the way to even further excesses. By into the contemporary fine-art—not frequent validation via reviews, shows, craft—paradigm. and press coverage, the line becomes more Today, craftspeople who seek to create and more elastic. Rhetorically speaking, forms that scandalize, shock or anger the one may ask: “Who will surpass the most public ought to be prepared for a tiny recent outrage and become the next me-

100 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 101 Comment

dia darling?” However, these elements alone do not comprise art and have not been the core values of craftspeople throughout history. Some would have us believe that at the turn of this century the truly repre­ sentative ceramics expressions were not produced by the artists of Roolcwood or Newcomb College but by a singular un­ orthodox artist: George Ohr. Revolution­ ary expressions certainly were produced by Ohr. Simultaneously, his expressions were the most far removed from the pre­ vailing concept of beauty. Simply, his work was not accepted by a culture that was more attuned to a higher ratio of the beautiful in artistic expressions. This very problem continues to shadow Peter Voulkos’ work. The initial response to his art was very similar to Ohr s in that it was marked by little en­ thusiasm from the general public. Even many potters could not understand the value of his expressions. Today, there still remains much contention (among the general public) regarding Voulkos’ con­ tribution to the field. Nevertheless, the chasm between Voul­ kos and Ohr is great. While Voulkos took his cues from the fine-art world, he was simultaneously a product of the crafts establishment. Ohr never was. From the beginning, Voulkos has been supported by Rose Slivka, then editor of Craft Hori­ zons magazine. Later, her book Voulkos: Dialogue with Clay did much to fuel in­ terest in and legitimize those expressions. Almost from the beginning, Voulkos work has undergone a process of con­ tinuous validation by the crafts establish­ ment. In this respect, his career is in direct contrast to Ohrs. As an outsider, Ohr was unable to make a critical impact with his revolutionary work. Fortunately for Voulkos, the values held by the fine-art culture and crafts culture were merging. In the balance between beauty and the grotesque, Voulkos’ work certainly is weighted toward the grotesque side. Rip­ ping and slashing function from pottery and calling it art instead of craft was, for some, frightfully brash. (Though not as brash as Duchamps calling an upside- down urinal art, and not particularly brash if one considers that clay sculpture had been created for millennia.) Continued

102 CERAMICS MONTHLY January 1998 103 Comment that beautiful works of art have been in “difficult” subjects in aggressive fash­ created whose subjects happen to be of­ ion, places an unreasonable (literally) bur­ fensive. Historically, the occurrence of den on the viewer. If the goal of the artist The reception by the public and by artwork that was beautiful and yet or craftsperson is to produce work that is most potters of Peter Voulkos’ work in broached evil, horrific or socially unac­ not understandable, cannot be appreci­ the fifties certainly embodies the con­ cepted subjects was not infrequent. How­ ated and does not contain an iota of beauty temporary paradigm of the role of the ever, the traditional craftsperson’s orien­ discernible by anyone, then certainly we artist in society today. Unfortunately, those tation normally did not deal with have a recipe for the production of a values personified by Voulkos have little controversial topics in an angst-ridden hoard of ugly, obnoxious and disagree­ to do with the traditional values nor­ fashion. Craftspeople, in the past, created able works. mally associated with the craft field. objects that were delightful to look at The reversal in status of how the art As the craft worlds designated mud- and comfortable to use. world and craft world perceive the rela­ slinging revolutionary, Voulkos arrived at Likewise, it is not arguable which par­ tionship between beauty and the gro­ a stage that was already set to receive ticular topics or issues might be exploited tesque is the most fundamental change him. And the props had been borrowed by contemporary artists. Obviously, in a in aesthetics to occur in the second half from the fine-art culture. Peter Voulkos free society, any and all elements of con­ of the 20th century. did not stand the crafts world on its head. temporary reality, no matter how loath­ In many respects, I agree with Yanagi The leadership of the crafts world was some these concepts may appear, are that we are cast in a continual struggle teetering there already. The “outsider” had available to contemporary artists and that can best be described as being dual- become an “insider” because the values craftspeople. But it is in this regard that istic in character. The inherent balance of the system had undergone a transfor­ many artists and craftspeople have lost that one may flesh out aesthetically is mation from above. the ability to infuse difficult subjects with oftentimes difficult to grasp and express. The current mantra in the fine-art the requisite quotient of the beautiful so Perhaps it is time for artists and crafts­ culture and now the tagalong craft cul­ as to broaden their own audience—a hu­ people to consciously tilt the aesthetic ture is seen again and again. This art is man audience that craves and appreciates scale in the direction of the beautiful. difficult...this art is upsetting...this art is beauty. After all, ours is the only species Who knows? This just might be a not understood (except by us specialists)... that has the ability to differentiate (and revolutionary thought. this art will be understood and appreci­ there is a difference) between the gro­ ated by people of the future, then it will tesque and the beautiful. The author A frequent contributor to CM, be Great Art (because we told you so). In many respects, the position taken artist!educator Kevin Hluch teaches at Simultaneously, no one can dispute by many artists and craftspeople, to deal Montgomery College, Rockville, Maryland.

Index to Advertisers

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104 CERAMICS MONTHLY